Secrets Not Meant To Be Kept
by CeceAsh
Summary: When Bella tries to end her suffering, a few unexpected guests show up and reveal the true reason behind them leaving. But, will Bella ever be reunited with Alice and confess her true feelings?
1. Misery

_**"There is love of course. And then there's life, its enemy." - Jean Anouilh**_

It's been six months and 4 days since they left. They, who I considered my family, who just up and left without any sort of goodbye, save for Edward. That didn't matter though, _he_ didn't matter. His reasoning for leaving is that they are too dangerous for me, so leaving me alone and defenseless when there is an evil redheaded vampire out to get me is protecting me?

The only good thing that came out of this, was that it brought me closer to Jacob, and the rest of the pack at La Push. They were my protection now, but I still wanted my little pixie vampire back. She was better than anyone, and anything, and my heart belongs to her. I actually started to figure that out when they were all still here, so maybe that's part of the reason for them leaving. I know Edward noticed me growing apart from him, but I was confused at my feelings for a while.

Not only was I baffled that I was having feelings for another girl, but that it had to be my boyfriend's sister. I liked Alice right off the bat, from pretty much the moment I met her. She was the only one of the Cullens, besides Esme, to come up to me and embrace me in a hug, to my surprise. Everyone else, even Edward was distant, at times, except her. She was always to most affectionate person with me, and I loved it. When I started to realized how much I really did love it, I questioned myself.

About a month of thinking things through, running through everything in my head, over and over, I came to the conclusion that I had fallen for the little vampire. I had never had feelings for another girl before, so I was confused, and I knew Jasper sensed it. I would see the look on his face when I would see Alice. My heart would flutter, and I would have a feeling of total bliss, because I was with the one that I truly loved.

I'm not sure if Jasper had told Edward or not, but now that I think back, I'm pretty sure he did. I don't blame him though, he was most likely just protecting the girl he loves from being taken away. The truth is, I hadn't even thought things through. That's why I hadn't mentioned anything to Edward, because I knew that even though I loved her, she was with Jasper. Every time I would be around the both of them, I got jealous, and I mean, _really_ jealous.

I couldn't help the way I felt. The girl I loved was with someone else, and I couldn't do anything about it. I also wouldn't miss the smirk on Jasper's face when my jealously kicked in, it was like he was enjoying that part. He didn't know what he had. He had the most beautiful girl in the world for himself, and he rarely showed her that. If she were mine, I would do my best every day, to show her how much she means to me. But no. He barely showed her any affection, but at the same time, I was grateful for that.

It made my heart clench with pain if I saw them kiss, which they barely did, thank God. I liked Jazz, but when my feelings for her grew, he became more protective of her, and Edward with me. When Alice and I had plans to do something alone together, Jasper started to complain, and insist either him or Edward tag along. Much to my dismay, Jasper came with us on several occasions, but I could see that it irritated Alice as well. I had a little hope that she felt the same way, but I could never know unless she told me.

I promised myself that I wouldn't say anything about my feelings towards her, because I didn't ever want to lose her friendship. But as time went on, the torture of seeing her with Jasper, and never getting any alone time with her to talk, it got harder and harder for me to contain myself. I wanted to scream it out to her, for the chance that maybe, just maybe, she had some sort of romantic feelings for me too. Maybe that was just wishful thinking though.

Then James came into our lives. His coven came into the field we were playing baseball in because they were curious and wanted to join, but that's definitely what didn't happen. James spotted me right away, and he was interested in my from the second we made eye contact. Edward, being his overly protective self, jumped the gun and attacked him. If he hadn't of done that, I would that thought they could have talked things out before things escalated.

Before I knew it, I was in Emmett's jeep with Edward, Emmett, and Alice. Edward was driving like a madman, and Emmett was on the lookout outside, just in case one of the Nomads tried something. And Alice was in the backseat with me, comforting me by holding me, and whispering reassuring things in my ear. At the time, I was supposed to be worried about the crazy vampire that was after me, but all I could think about then was Alice's arms around me.

We had stopped off at my house, because that was the first place the hunter would look. While Alice and Emmett ran back to their house, Edward and I put on a show for James, acting like I was leaving Forks with him, and leaving Charlie to protect him. After I had packed some clothes, and we had gone back to the Cullen's house to regroup. Edward reluctantly let me go with Alice and Jasper, because he knew the tracker would know I'd be with Edward, so he'd follow them.

Jasper sped off, leaving Edward in the garage, waiting for Carlisle and Rose to get ready, while Esme would go and look after Charlie. I could see that Jasper wasn't happy with Edward's decision to have me go with them, so with the first thought of Alice, it's like he knew, and purposefully grabbed her hand to hold it, right where I would see it, so I'd know my place. I wanted to cry, but I didn't want his actions to affect me so.

I guess his plan backfired though, because Alice sensed my sadness, and joined me in the backseat to hold me. I held onto her tight, letting silent tears run down my face. I saw Jasper had quite a grip on the steering wheel, because he was holding back. I savored every moment that I was in Alice arms, as if when she let go, I would never have it again. I saw his scowl in the rear view mirror, but he kept himself in check, for Alice's sake. She didn't know how I felt, and if Jasper had anything to do with it, she never would.

The next few days were spent in a hotel in Arizona. Much to Jasper's dismay, Alice spent most of that time with me. I mostly lied in bed, cocooned in the covers as Alice sat behind me, stroking my hair with her delicate fingers. At night, I snuggle into her, and she would gladly hold me. I could see that Jasper was having a hard time controlling his own emotions, and I was very surprised he didn't crack. I could see that Alice knew something was up with both of us, but I hoped she wouldn't put two and two together.

On the third day, they were going to move me to another hotel, just in case, so they both went downstairs to work things out. That's when I got the call from James, threatening the life of my mother if I didn't meet him. I complied, making a split decision to make a run for it, and I actually got away, to my surprise. I met him at my old ballet studio, where I found out that my mother had been in no danger at all, but it was just a ruse to get me here...and it had worked perfectly.

I felt stupid, but at the same time, I'd rather die in the place of someone I love, then lose them. After tossing me around a bit...Edward swooped in to save the day. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't my savior, Alice was. He couldn't defeat James by himself, so when Jasper, Alice, and Emmett showed up next, he was doomed. James bit me before Alice had ripped him to pieces in seconds. My vision was going in and out because of the searing pain from the venom, but my hearing was perfect.

Edward and Alice argued over letting the venom spread. Alice was for it, since she had seen me as a vampire from the very beginning. Edward, of course, was against it, saying I'd lose my soul if I was turned. Alice and I knew that was complete bullshit, but he got his way, as per usual. I felt him start to suck the venom out, but the last face I saw, was hers. I'd never seen Alice so scared. Her eyes pitch black with worry, and then everything went black.

When I awoke in the hospital, Edward and Alice were there by my side, along with my mother. She had informed me that I fell down and flight of stairs and through a window, which wasn't a bad cover story, because I was such a klutz, that could totally happen. The next few weeks, I saw Alice more. We had more alone time because she volunteered to help me while I recovered, and I was grateful. She brought me food, tucked me in at night, cuddled with me. We talked about everything, except what I really wanted to of course. It was like we were dating, minus the kissing.

When Alice would go hunt, Edward would spend time with me. He was annoyed that I wanted to spend most of my time with Alice, but I brushed it off, trying not to make it a big deal. He definitely wasn't happy about Alice helping me take showers either, but he obviously wasn't going to help, and neither was Charlie...that would have been way too uncomfortable. The first time was nerve racking, because I had never been naked in front of anyone, and well...it was Alice.

After a few minutes of trying to convince me that we were 'both girls, so it shouldn't be a big deal', I undressed. I thought she was just going to be there in case I were to lose my balance and fall, but no, she had gotten undressed also, and got in the shower with me. At first I was majorly self conscious, but when her cool hands touched my back, and she reassured me that I didn't have to be embarrassed, I started to let go.

She would wash my back and hair, while I tended to the front. Sometimes her fingers lingered on the curve of my hips, but I thought I was just reading too much into it, because that's what I wanted. The last time we showered together, before they left, was the most tense. I was soaping up my stomach like I usually did, while she did my back. I had had enough of being in love with her, and her not knowing, so I had decided to do something. Something that might jeopardize not only our relationship, but also hers and Jasper's.

I had decided to kiss her. While I was working up my nerve, I felt her stiffen behind me, but only for a few seconds, then her hands slowly went back to what they were doing. I knew it was a vision, and I wanted to know what it was about, I wanted to turn around a kiss her, Most of all...I wanted her to kiss me back. But alas, the fates weren't on my side. Alice's phone rang and stopped me. She got out to take the call, and now that I look back, I know that must have been when she found out they were leaving.

When she returned to help me out of the shower and dress, her face was pained and her eyes were sad. After tucking me in bed that night, she said she had to leave. Then, I had no idea that was that last time I would see her. She gave me an extra long hug, and a kiss on the cheek before saying our usual 'I love you's', then slipping out my window. I figured something was wrong, but I never would have guessed what happened after that.

The next day I woke up to Edward sitting in the wooden rocking chair in the corner of my room. He looked troubled, and I had a feeling what he was about to say, wasn't good. He told me that they were all leaving to 'protect me'. After what happened with James, he didn't want me to put me in any more danger. The whole time he was explaining this, all I was thinking about was Alice, and how she was leaving me. She didn't know how I felt, and she never would...

I teared up at the thought of never seeing my little vampire again, and I think Edward thought those tears were for him. He left me with a promise that he would never interfere with my life again, and he hopes that I can be happy again some day. And then with a light kiss to my forehead, he was gone. She was gone.

I spent at four months held up in my room, only going out for school and to fix meals for Charlie. I barely ate, I just didn't have the appetite anymore. I was becoming skin and bones, and Charlie was worried about me, but he didn't know what to do. The truth was, there was nothing he could do to take the pain away from losing the person I was in love with.

Eventually he made me get off my ass and out of my room, and that's when I started hanging out with Jacob. We had been childhood friends, but only had spoken a few times since I had moved to Forks, and Charlie thought some friend bonding would do me good. And it did. I started to live again, but I still wasn't happy. Sure, Jake took the pain away from a while, but when I got back to my house and lied in bed alone, the sadness would come back full force.

When Jake started acting different, I knew something was up. Come to find out, him and a lot of the kids on the rez are werewolves. It's like I'm a magnet for the supernatural. I told him I knew what the Cullens were, and he was upset with me for a while, since they are the 'enemy'. Sure, he told me the stories of their tribe as to why they hate vampires so much, but they are so biased that they never say how good the Cullens were...are.

Not that long ago I told him about my feelings toward Alice. He still wasn't happen that it was a Cullen that I had my heart set on, but he at least liked her better than Edward. He tried to help me get over her, but nothing could. My love for Alice was a once in a lifetime kind of love...or so I believe. The longer she was away, the more I realized I loved her, and the more I realized that she was gone...and she wasn't coming back.

I wondered if she still looked into my future, to see what I've been doing. I've thought about trying to talk to her, thinking maybe she'd see me and how much I missed her, enough that she would think about coming back. I never had the courage to though...she could come back anytime she wanted, right? It was her choice to stay away, even if all she saw in her visions were me in pain. Maybe she thought that pain was from Edward, but I could never be certain.

If this was how it was going to end, I just wished I had the chance to have a proper goodbye from each of them. I missed Esme's motherly hugs. I missed Carlisle's advice and guidance...God knows I need some. I miss Emmett's bear hugs and inappropriate jokes. I miss Rosalie's bitchiness. I even missed Jasper, oddly enough. I can't tell you how many tears I've shed these past months for her, for all of them. I needed them more than they knew.

Recently, Jake's been preoccupied with...doing whatever werewolves do. And I've been alone again. My depression coming back full force, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. That was, until I played with the idea of death. Most of the time wishing James had just killed me there in the ballet studio. Because I knew as long as I would be alive, I would be unhappy if I didn't have Alice. And I, for one, didn't want to live in misery anymore. I did, however, keep changing my mind about it, but two days ago I settled on my decision.

This morning I wrote Charlie a note, explaining why I did what I was about to do. I told him it wasn't Edward I was heartbroken over, but Alice. And that there was nothing he could have done to help me. I said goodbye to him and my mother, and left it on my bed for him to find when he came looking for me. I felt bad about leaving them, especially Charlie.

All of those events, led me here...at the edge of the cliff, waves crashing below me. I breathed in the cool fall air, relaxing me as I waited. Waiting for what, I don't know exactly. My fantasy of Alice stopping me before I jumped off the cliff, professing her love to me...wasn't going to happen. This was reality, and no matter how much you want something, I guess some things just aren't meant to be.

I stepped closer to the edge, taking a few deep breaths as I looked down at the blue waves crashing against the rocky cliff at the bottom. This was it.

"I love you, Alice. I'm sorry..." I whispered as a single tear ran down my face.

I'd imagine she would see this in a vision, so she would finally know how I felt about her. But at the same time, I know she loved me, and it would pain her to see the sight of me killing myself. I hoped she could forgive me for this one day. I put that at the back of my mind before I flung myself off the cliff without hesitation. The fall seemed to last forever, like I was going in slow motion. Pivotal moments of my life, flashing before my eyes.

Her face before she left me that night was the last thing I saw before I hit the ice cold water with a hard slap. The landing knocked the wind out of me, but I didn't struggle to save myself. I let my body go limp, and I started sinking in the water quickly, and before I knew it, my ass hit the sandy bottom of the ocean floor. Opening my eyes, all I saw was blue. Blue, and tiny bits of green stuff I assumed was algae or parts of seaweed, float by and catch the light of the sun that penetrated through the water.

I heard the muffled sound of the crashing waves above me, but apart from that, all I heard was my heartbeat. At first it was pounding fast, but as I lay there motionless, I noticed it slowing down. My lungs began to burn with pain, but I did my best to ignore it...it would be over soon anyway. Then I wouldn't have to feel anymore.

Soon, my vision started to blur and the pressure in my head and chest magnified. I blinked a few times before I started to see black, and I welcomed it. It was like my light at the end of the tunnel. I let the darkness surround me and pull me in until I could see no more...and it was then, for the first time in six months, that I felt nothing.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that was depressing. So what do you think? Should I continue this? If so, I'll most likely change the title later on.**


	2. Unexpected Guests

"_**Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." - Richard Bach**_

My senses started coming back to me slowly. First, I knew I was laying on something that was pretty comfy. Second, Even though my eyes were shut, I could see there was light where I was...wherever that may be. And third, that it was totally quite around me. I didn't know where I was, for all I know, this could be heaven...since I don't think that Hell would be this quiet.

After thinking for a few minutes, I just decided to open my eyes and get my bearings. It took more energy than I thought, but I managed to pry my eyelids open after two tries. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized where I was; my room. I furrowed my brow in confusion, not knowing why I was here. I did read once, that some people believe that when we die, our spirits go back to the place that we are most familiar with. So, I'm dead...I accomplished my goal, but this house was the last place I wanted to be. It was just a reminder of the lonely months I spent in here.

I didn't really know how to feel, to be honest. I mean, obviously I've never died before, but I expected it to be different. Maybe not chillin' on a cloud, playing a harp all day, but just...different. I looked down at myself and realized I was cocooned in my sheets, and I was uncomfortably warm. When I tried to move, my muscles screamed at me, so I stopped and groaned to myself. Maybe it's best not to do that just yet. I still wasn't sure of what was going on, but I wasn't liking it. Wasn't death supposed to be painless? Or do you have to carry around the pain you caused yourself for all eternity?

My thoughts stopped when I heard light footsteps in the hallway. I felt my heart start to pound in anticipation, and my body automatically stiffen, awaiting what was about to come through my door. For all I know, it was a demon coming to collect my soul. But I was hoping on an angel to send me to heaven. But, with my luck, it would just be someone coming to tell me that I would be stuck in this...purgatory, for forever.

I swore my heart actually stopped for a beat when the person's silhouette stood in the doorway. I recognized the shape, but my brain felt foggy and I couldn't register who it was. I was about to open my mouth to ask, but then the figure stepped into the lit room and revealed herself.

"Rosalie?" I asked in hoarse voice.

"Are you fucking insane?" She yelled, making my eyes widen, and my head throb.

_Huh, even in death she's bitching at me._

"Possibly..." I replied.

"What the Hell is wrong with you?"

If I had the energy to laugh, I would have.

"A multitude of things."

"I'll say!"

I was baffled, to say the least. I'm supposed to be dead, yet here Rose is, yelling at me. Maybe this _was_ Hell after all...

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Crossing her arms over her chest and the scowl in her face deepening.

"I'm dead, so why does it matter what I have to say?"

She rolled her eyes before she came close enough to where her knees bumped the bed.

"You aren't dead, you idiot. But you came extremely close. I had to give you mouth to mouth...it was gross."

The anger rose quickly in me and I narrowed my eyes at her as my nostrils flared. This couldn't be.

"What?"

"I said: You. Aren't. Dead." She enunciated every word.

_No..._

"No. No! You shouldn't have saved me..." I said through my teeth.

"Excuse me?" Raising her eyebrow at me for a moment, then grabbing something out of her pocket. "Care to explain this?" She held up the note I left Charlie.

_Shit._

I clamped my mouth shut, because I wasn't about to say anything about that. She obviously had read it, what more was there to explain? Slowly her scowl slowly disappeared from her face, and turned to an unreadable one. I, however, kept my angry face on, just to let her know I didn't want to talk about it. We stayed like that for a few moments before she moved away from the bed and averted her eyes elsewhere.

"Look, we have a lot to talk about. But right now...you fucking stink to high heaven."

Wrinkling her nose, she disappeared into my bathroom for a few seconds before I heard water running.

"You're going to take a bath." She started. "And since I imagine you're pretty sore, I'm going to help you. I don't want you falling and hurting yourself."

What happened? It's like the normal Rose was still here, with her rude remarks, but then she wants to take care of me...I just didn't get it.

"Why do you care? You don't even like me." I choked out.

_She should let me fall and crack my head open on the tub._

"I said we'll talk about it later."

Ignoring my protests, she uncovered me from all the sheets, which now released the smell that she was talking about...and oh my God, she was right. I did stink. She picked me up easily, taking me into the bathroom and sitting me on the toilet to undress me. I didn't particularly like that she was getting me naked, but it's not like there was anything I could do about it. My muscles hurt and they felt lead so I didn't even bother fighting her about it. I just let my eyes unfocus as she continued to remove my clothes, thinking about what a monkey wrench this was in my plan. Why can't anything ever go my way?

She sighed, bringing me out of my thoughts. "You're skin and bones, Bella." She whispered.

I quickly covered myself up as good as I could before she lifted me once again and gently set me in the warm water of the tub. It actually felt good, minus all the grime I felt on my body. She watered me down first, before getting some body wash and lightly started scrubbing my back. I leaned forward to give her better access and I closed my eyes and waited for her to get done. I might have started to doze off a little, because before I knew it her cold hand lightly caressed my face to get my attention.

"Lean back, I'm going to wash your hair."

I did as she said, leaning back into her other hand while she scooped up a cupful of clean water and poured it over my hair.

_She must have drained the nasty water while I was out of it._

A few cups later she stopped for a moments, then the smell of strawberries waffted to my nose. I took a deep breath, enjoying the smell as she scrubbed the shampoo into my hair, and massaging my scalp at the same time. Even thought I had a throbbing headache, I had to admit, it felt really nice. And actually made me more sleepy, but I didn't want to doze off and have her disappear on me. Even though it hurt to see her, I didn't want her to leave. She was still a Cullen, and I had missed her.

Rinsing my hair clean of all the crap that was in the ocean, she took one last cupful and I was done. She pulled the plug from out of the drain and I felt the water go down fairly quickly. Wrapping a towel around me after all the water was gone, then lifted me out and sat me down on the toilet so she could dry my hair. He hands worked at super speed, and my hair was dry in a matter or thirty seconds. She helped me dry my body off next, though not going to the places I was clearly uncomfortable with. By the time I was done, my arms felt even heavier than before...and hurt like hell.

She helped me dress, though it's not like it mattered. She threw on my underwear, then in a flash, I was in jeans and a plain tee. Once again, she picked me up, this time taking me downstairs. I didn't even bother asking, I just let my head rest on her shoulder and let my eyes close as she made her way down the stairs and into the living room.

"Bells!" A man shouted, which made me jump a little.

"Emmett, not so loud." She scolded.

She turned me around and sat me on the couch, where this time, I was able to see him. In a flash, he was by my side. I knew he wanted to hug me, but he was hesitating...and I couldn't ever deny Em a hug, no matter how mad I was at him. I let myself slide towards him, and he took that as a 'go ahead'. Smiling, he wrapped me in his big, strong arms...maybe a little too tight, but I wasn't complaining. I got enough energy to wrap my free arm around his neck and gently squeeze back.

"Em, be gentle with her." Rose interjected.

"Oh!" He loosened his grip quite a bit, but I still held onto him for another moment.

"Be right back." She announced as we pulled back at the same time, glancing at her.

I saw her blur upstairs, then back down and into the laundry room with my dirty, smelly, bedsheets. I heard her start the load, and a few moments later she joined us in the living room. No one spoke, and the awkwardness was getting more uncomfortable. I finally decided to speak, to let her know that she should have just let me drown.

"You're wasting your time. Once you leave, I'll just keep trying it again." I said, staring at the floor in front of me.

"Stupid little human." She muttered under her breath. "And no you won't."

"We'd never let that happen." Emmett spoke up.

"Why can't you just let me be, huh? I'm nothing to you," I said, now looking at Rose. "and seeing you now just makes it hurt worse."

"You aren't nothing to me."

She surprised me for the second time today. First, just her presence alone...now the infamously bitchy Rosalie is saying that I matter to her. I didn't let this ruin my facade though...I still remained expressionless while they both waited for me to speak, but before I could, my stomach rumbled quite loudly. My eyes widened and I blushed, causing both of them to nervously giggled at me.

I put my hand over my tummy, wanting it to shut up already, and when I looked back to the both of them, I noticed Rose had left the room again. A few seconds later she walked back in with a bowl of soup and handed to me, ordering that I ate it. I thought about arguing, but once again, I kept quiet...mainly because I _was_ hungry, and it smelled delicious.

"I followed the directions...so I hope it tastes good." Emmett said, giving me a half grin.

I smiled back, appreciating the fact that he even tried. I doubt he had never attempted making human food before, since Esme was always the one to cook when I was over at their house. Esme...how I missed her and her delicious cooking. I don't know how the hell she did it, but she could make the simplest of things taste so wonderful.

I pushed her from my mind and picked up the spoon, scooping up a little bit of broth and blowing on it before sliding it into my mouth. Emmett leaned forward, looking at me expectantly, waiting for my reaction. The warm liquid slid down my sore throat, soothing it as I enjoyed the aftertaste.

"Thank you, Emmett. It's very good." He smiled big this time, revealing his large dimples that I was used to seeing.

After a few more spoonfuls I gave up because it was taking too long, and just brought the side of the bowl up to my lips and drank the rest. After I was done, I wiped my mouth with my hand, then set it down on the table in front of me. I was tired of waiting for answers.

"You said we had a lot to talk about...so start talking."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm surprised all the amount of people that wanted me to continue this. I originally wrote it as a one-shot, but I thought it could be more if you guys wanted it to be. So it's because of you that I am continuing this. Thanks for you support :)**


	3. Truths

"_**Secrets are made to be found out with time." - Charles Sanford**_

"I guess it's best to just start off at the beginning. Rose?" Emmett gave the floor to her as he sat back against the sofa with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Jasper knew of your feelings for Alice long before we left." She started. "At the time, he only shared it with Edward, mainly because he had to, since his gift and all. At first, Edward didn't believe Jasper, thinking he was just looking too deep into things. Then James attacked and you spent so much time with Alice as you recovered, that it aggravated Jasper to no end, and when Edward would come see you, you'd be distant. He started to believe Jasper, and it was apparent that he didn't want to lose his wife, and Edward didn't want to lose you to someone else...so from that, they hatched their plan for all of us to leave."

"Trying to convince us that it was for your own good, and that you were much better off without us. I knew there was something more behind it, but I never said anything to anyone else. I'm sure Edward knew of my doubts, so he avoided me as much as possible so I wouldn't question him. The rest of them, including Emmett and I, wanted to stay here in Forks, Alice being the most vocal about not wanting to leave you. That made them even more motivated to get us all to leave. And, in the end, Edward got his way, and Jasper used his gift to persuade Alice."

"When we left, everyone, save for Edward, stayed together in Alaska. He went his own way, and scarcely contacted us. About three months ago, all of a sudden Jasper decided that he and Alice needed some time alone to "reconnect" with each other...so they left too. Unlike Edward though, I talk to Alice quite often. She's been keeping tabs on you this whole time, you know. She's seen how much you've been hurting, and she's wanted to come back, but Jasper always influences her into staying with him. Even this time, when it _was_ life or death for you..."

I clenched my fists together at the though of Jasper controlling Alice with his gift. I never thought that he could be so cruel...

"When she had the vision of you jumping off the cliff, she called me immediately, talking so fast even _I_ could barely understand her. Jasper wouldn't let her go...and since we were separated, we weren't there to help Alice talk any sense into him. So, instead of wasting time arguing about it over the phone, Emmett and I decided to come for you. I may not show it, but I do care for you, Bella."

When I looked in her eyes, they were the softest I've ever seen, but also filled with sadness and regret.

"We only found out the truth about this not that long ago, when Emmett and I confronted Edward when he came back for a short visit. I was very angry at the real reason they both had us all leave, and it took all that was in me not to rip his fucking head off for it. The rest of us consider you family, and well, I just hope you can forgive us someday..."

My mind was spinning with this information. I had my strong suspicions that they left because of my feelings towards Alice, and now I had my conformation. But now...what to do?

"I'm sure she saw it, but I still called her after I got you back here to tell her that you were alright. You should have heard the relief in her voice...but it still had a sad ring to it. I know that she wants more than anything to see you again. The thing is, Jasper knows that Alice isn't his true life-mate, but he doesn't want to be alone." Rose finished.

"I never thought they were right for each other anyway." Emmett said. "Jazz is very old-fashioned. He thinks the wives should do everything the husband says without question, but you know little Ali. She always has gone with the beat of her own drum. Since we all left, I've never seen and heard her more depressed. She was always the bubbly, happy-go-lucky one, and now..."

I could see heartbreaking look in both their eyes as he talked about Alice. I hated to think that Jasper was holding her against her will and using his gift to make her comply with him. If I hated him then, I detest him will every fiber of my being now. How _dare_ he.

"She was at her happiest when she was with you...and I'll do anything to get her that happy again. Both of you."

"So what are we going to do about Jasper?" I asked. "It's so wrong for him manipulate her like that."

"We know...the thing is, we have no idea where they are. Or else I would have been there long ago, beating the crap outta him."

"Me too." Rose chimed in.

"Wait...you don't know where they are?"

The shook their heads.

"Why didn't they tell you? Why didn't Alice...?"

"Jasper wants them to be alone. So if she tried to tell us, he would stop her. And if she even did manage to tell us, he would move them before we could get there. I assume that Alice will see this conversation in a vision, so she knows to keep quiet so we can find a clue as to where they are." Emmett finished.

"How do we find some clues then?"

"We?"

"Yes. If you're going to go look for her, then I'm coming as well."

"Bella-"

"No arguing with me. My mind is set. You're taking me with you." I demanded.

"What about your father?"

"I'll leave him a note saying I left, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'm eighteen, so I'm legally free to leave whenever."

"And what about school?"

"We're on break right now, for two weeks. But I could always go back, or get my GED if we're gone too long. Please, I need to come."

They looked at one another, talking with their eyes for a few moments, before turning back to me.

"Okay...but you need to relax for a bit, you're in no condition to be traveling heavily." She pointed out.

"After you aren't as sore, and are feeling better...then we'll start looking, okay?"

I nodded my head, having no other choice. She was right, I couldn't leave now, since I had to be carried everywhere so I wouldn't hurt myself. I knew the wait would be the worst part, but as long as I got to see Alice in the end...this will all have been worth it.

"So back to my question...how do we find some clues?"

"We already tried finding them by the GPS on their phones, but Jasper must have disabled it. So, if we go around to some covens we know, they'll know if they had been in the area, and if so, maybe they can give us a hint at where they went."

_Made sense. I just wondered how long it would take before we would get a solid lead._

"Now that that's settled...would you like me to fix you something else to eat? And something for Charlie when he gets home?"

"He's not coming home tonight, that's why I picked today to...you know. But nothing for now...I'm just super tired." I croaked out.

I'm sure I had purple bags under my eyes to prove it. Since they left, I hadn't been sleeping more than a few hours a night...so I had some catching up to do. My throat was beginning to hurt again from the lack of lubricant, and I felt more exhausted than ever. My eyes drooping as I thought about it, and yawning, as if on cue.

"Let's get the human to bed." Rose announced. "You're bedspread in in the wash, so would you rather sleep in your father's room, or here on the couch?"

I didn't even think about it before I answered. "Couch." Charlie wasn't the most clean person in the world, not to mention it would just feel weird sleeping in there.

He would be worse off if I wasn't...here. Sure, I was pissed earlier at Rose for saving me...but now, I was thankful. I wouldn't have known the whole truth, of them leaving, and of Jasper forcing Alice to do what he wants. I wouldn't have had a chance to save her, or to see her again. While I was lost in my thoughts, Rose had gone to fetch me a blanket from the closet, and a pillow from my bed. And was in front of me waiting to move. Emmett got up and walked behind the couch, giving me room to lay down. My body hurt like hell, but I pushed through it for a few seconds before I got into a comfortable enough position for her to lay the blanket over me.

I've never seen Rose so...maternal. Not to say that I didn't like it...I did. But it was just such a contrast from her normal hard self. I wished she'd let others see this side of her more, but I doubt that will happen. I think she likes to keep up her bitchy/bad girl image...but at least I know the truth. She can be softy, and that alone, makes me smile.

She pushed a stray hair from my face, her cold fingers lingering on my skin, in an affectionate gesture before she pulled away nervously...as if just realizing what she was doing. She busied herself by going into the kitchen and getting me a cold glass of water, which I was much appreciative of. It soothes my throat again to where it didn't hurt, and my head collapsed on the pillow behind me.

"We're going back to the house to change our clothes. Are you going to be okay? You're not going to try something while we're gone, right?" She asked with concern.

I furrowed my brow before I spoke. "Why would I try anything, now that I have something to live for?"

_I wasn't going to let Alice down. I wasn't ever going to stop looking until I found her._

"You'll be back though...right? Tonight, I mean."

All she did was give me a nod and a slight smile, then followed Emmett out the front door. Never had I thought my day would have gone the way it did. I was supposed to be dead, but now...I was recovering before we made the trip to save my little vampire from her controlling husband. This was going to be an adventure, to say the least. Whether it will turn out good or bad, I couldn't say yet.

/-/

_It was dark. Cold and dark. I didn't know where I was, but I had a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. _

"_This is all because of you..." A man's voice pierced the darkness._

_My heart started pounding as I started backing up, away from where the voice came from._

"_You just had to ruin it, didn't you?"_

_This time, I recognized the voice. Even though I still couldn't see him, I definitely knew now, that this wasn't going to end well._

"_Don't touch her, or I swear to God, that I will kill you myself." A higher voice said from behind me._

_I turned around to find Alice approaching rather fast, then once in front of me, bending her knees in a defensive position and hissing at him._

"_Oh, Alice..." He started. "You could have prevented this, you know." _

_Finally, he got close enough this time to where I could see his outline, and his vibrant ruby eyes. He was started to remind me of James, and how he talked to me in that ballet studio. Playing with his prey..._

"_It's not her fault." I spoke up._

_I saw those ruby eyes look at me now, surprised that I actually said something. _

"_That's right. It's yours. And you should be punished for it..."_

"_Shut up, Jasper. I will tear you limb from limb if you even look at her the wrong way!" Alice growled._

_He laughed at her as he took a step to the side, as did she. I backed up more until I hit a hard surface, which felt like a wall._

"_I wouldn't try to escape, Bella. You'd be dead before you even took to steps...such a fragile little human."_

_Alice growled once more, this time I could see she was really holding herself back from attacking him._

"_Same goes for you, Alice. I have all the right cards in my hand...while you have none."_

"_Don't you touch her!" I yelled at him._

"_And what are you going to do about it, Bella? You're a human. A weak, little, human that thinks she can take on a vampire? Pfft. Although it would be quite an entertaining game."_

_Alice growled again, this time so loud it echoed a few times before there was silence again._

"_What happened to you?" I choked out._

_He stopped his movements and his eyes bore into mine. His lips quivering in anger for a second._

"_You happened."_

_Just then he took his eyes off me and lunged at Alice. It must have been a split decision, because she wasn't prepared for it. She dodged a few of his swipes, but he was a much more experienced fighter than her, and got her in a headlock quickly._

"_Don't, please! Just stop!" I cried out._

_Alice's scared eyes met mine for a second before he smiled, and jerked his hands in opposite directions, taking her head off clean._

"_No!"_

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><p><strong>AN: Whoa, dream sequence. But is it just a nightmare, or a hint at what is to come? Hm...I'll leave you to ponder. See you next chapter!**


	4. Take Off

"_**We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment." -**** Hilaire Belloc**_

"_You're next..." He said to me through gritted teeth as he lit a match and held it over Alice's torn up body._

_My vision was blurred from the waterfall of tears in my eyes, and all I saw was a ball of yellow and orange fire engulf my little vampire._

_I was actually thankful that he was going to kill me, because I couldn't live without Alice._

"_Oh, Bella...you should see the look on your face." _

_I saw his dark figure slowly walk closer to me, he was enjoying this way too much. Sure, I was scared...death is scary. Especially when your dying at the hand of a lunatic vampire._

"Bella?" _Another voice called out._

_I furrowed my brow in confusion. The voice seemed to have come from far away, but it didn't faze Jasper one bit. I hoped he would at least make it quick. I wasn't one for pain, much less torture._

"_Are you scared, little Bella?"_

_I refused to answer him, even though tears were streaming down my face, I kept my head held high and my eyes straight forward._

"_To good enough to answer me now?" His voice got deeper._

"_Fuck. You."_

_He took one deep, unneeded breath before he lunged at me, wrapping his ice cold hand around my throat. Gradually applying pressure, making me gasp for air._

"Bella?" _The voice said again, this time more frantic._

"_Goodbye, Bella."_

I sat up with a jolt, frantically pushing the cold body away from me as I tried to get some air in me.

"Bella, calm down...it's me."

It's then I realized who it was, even through my coughing.

"It's just me."

_Rose._

I let out a relieved breath before collapsing back on the couch, ignoring the irritated muscles from my little episode. I looked up to see her worried face as I felt her hand wipe away tears I didn't know had fallen.

"Sorry...bad dream." I panted.

We sat there for a few more minutes as my breathing returned to normal, Rose sitting next to me on the floor patiently.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, her eyes soft and warm.

I shook my head. "No, it doesn't matter...it was just a dream."

I pushed that out of my mind and noticed her hand was resting on mine, her thumb lightly rubbing my skin in a sign on affection. I didn't think she realized she was doing it. I sat there for another few moments observing her. She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa, half turned to me. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and she looked like she was in deep thought about something. I started to turn my hand over to hold hers, to give her comfort about whatever she was thinking about, but before I could she moved her hand off mine in a flash.

"Why do you do that?" I asked.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Her gaze never meeting mine.

"You're not making me uncomfortable." I reached down and grabbed her hand again, and entwined my fingers with hers. "It's like anytime you realize what you're doing, you stop all of a sudden and pull away. Why?"

She was quiet for a few moments, but her face went through a range of emotions. Many times she opened her mouth, but then shut it again, deciding not to say what she was thinking.

"I-uh..."

"Wow, Rosalie at a loss for words. Never thought I'd see the day." I said playfully.

I saw the side of her mouth twitch upward for a second before she regained her composure.

"I missed you."

"Why the hell would you miss me? I was nothing but mean to you." She looked at me confused.

"I still thought of you as an older sister. A bitchy older sister...but a sister nonetheless." I admitted.

She sat there in shock for a few seconds before looking at the floor again.

"I missed you, too." She whispered.

I smiled at her, resisting the urge to hug her. But I think she's had enough touchy feeling stuff for now.

"Where's Emmett?" I asked, noticing that it was much too quiet around here.

"He went hunting, then was going to stop my the house to grab a map so we can start planning where we need to go look." She looked thankful for the change in subject. "While you were asleep, I called our go-to guy, and he should have a passport for you by tomorrow evening."

"So you're getting it illegally?" I asked.

"Of course, it's the only way we get paperwork done." She said nonchalantly. "Not to mention quickly. He's a speedy little thing...but I suppose that's because he's afraid of us." She chuckled.

"Does he...know?"

"Not that we're vampires, but he does know that we are differently. Carlisle's been working with him for thirty years now."

"Whoa. Aren't you afraid that he'll say something to someone?"

"No. Emmett threatened him once...you should have seen the look on his face. We know we can trust him, though." She finished before she whipped her head to the door.

A few seconds later, Emmett walked in. He had on a simple black shirt and blue jeans, and rolled up piece of paper in his hands, which I assumed was the map. I looked down at Rose, noticing her change in outfit as well. She was wearing more my style of clothing than the usual name brand she always wore. It was nice to see her this way.

"Bella, your finally awake!" His voice boomed through the house as he approached.

"Morning, Em."

"Morning? It's afternoon! Four fifteen to be exact."

"Holy shit, I really slept that long?"

"Yeah, but you needed to rest." Rose rubbed my hand before letting go and standing up. "By the way, Charlie called and said he wouldn't be home until about eight tonight."

I nodded. I had totally forgotten about Charlie coming home.

"I made your bed, would you like me to take you upstairs?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I need a human moment first." I said, realizing how badly I needed to use the restroom.

Her eyebrows raised, and next thing I knew, I was upstairs in my bathroom.

"Do you need help?"

"No, I think I got it. But thanks."

She let me go and closed the door behind her, leaving me to do my business. I had trouble standing up from the toilet, but I managed to get up after three tries. I flushed and washed my hands before limping my way over to my bed, where Rose was sitting, watching me carefully in case I started to fall. I made it to the bed and collapsed face first onto it, not bothering to move for a few seconds, and I swore I heard a small giggle come from Rose.

"Don't suffocate yourself, now." I heard her say before I groaned and turned over.

Emmett came through the door then, unfolding the map in his hands, then sat it down on the bed in front of Rose and I.

"Where do we even start?" I asked as I sat up.

"Well...we're pretty sure they aren't in the United States, they would be too easy to find that way." Emmett said as he laid the map on the bed. "I also doubt they're in South America."

"Why's that?"

"Last time we heard, that's where Edward's been staying. And he didn't wanted to be by himself for a while, so we can rule that continent out, for now." He answered.

"We'll call around to families we know, see If they've heard or seen anything recently." Rose said.

"How many covens are out there?"

They both looked at me like I was crazy.

"More than you could imagine, Bella. There's at least one coven in every state in the US, plus Nomads that never stop moving. As for the other continents, Europe is the most populated because it has so many countries. And not all are vegetarians, so it would be wise to leave you in a hotel when we talk to the ones that aren't."

I couldn't really argue with that. I'd rather not be killed when I have my little vampire to save.

/-/

Throughout the next week, Emmett and Rosalie called every family they knew to try and find out anything they could about Alice and Jasper's whereabouts. They were able to rule out Africa, Australia, Alaska, and of course, South America. So now we knew, we were heading to Europe first. We would fly to Portugal, since Emmett said it was a good starting place, and where there is a known coven.

I was literally going crazy with anticipation. The whole week had gone by extremely slow, even with the company of Em, Rose, and Charlie. I has spent quite a bit of time with him since he came back, because I didn't know when I was going to see him next, and I knew I was going to miss him. All I left was a vague note, saying I had to go, I was safe, but I didn't know when I would be back. I knew Charlie would freak the fuck out, and I felt terrible, but I had to do this.

I also recovered quite well. I was still sore when I did certain things, but overall, I was good to go, and boy was I ready. I didn't sleep well because of that, and I kept having those horrible Jasper dreams, that I still refused to talk about with Rose. I could tell she was worried, but I didn't want my stupid dreams to affect anyone else. We were on a mission now, the last thing we needed was a distraction.

A voice over the intercom pulled me out of my thoughts, and Rose motioned for me to follow her. Emmett handed the lady our tickets so she could scan them, and then we walked through the tunnel thingy that's attached to the plane, and boarded quite fast. We were one of the first people on, so we had our pic of seats. Emmett lead us all the way to the back of the plane, then both stood to the side and motioned for me to go in first to take the window seat.

Rose then slid in next to me, and Emmett follow her. I took a deep breath and buckled my seat belt before relaxing into my seat the best I could. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. Traveling the world with Rose and Emmett to save the love of my life...it was like a story from a romance novel or something. I wondered what my future held after we actually did find them. There was no time to think about the future at the moment, once we found Alice, there would be plenty of time for that.

But, for now...to Portugal.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer. In the mean time, tell me what you think about this chapter, and what you think will happen soon?**


	5. Portugal

**A/N: For those of you who are confused on why I chose Portugal to start off their journey...it's the closest country in Europe to the US. **

**ALSO: I apologize in advance if translations are wrong, I used Google translate, and I'm not sure how accurate it is.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"To get through the hardest journey, we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping." - Unknown<strong>_

The flight was just over twenty hours long, and even though we just sat there the whole time, save for multiple bathroom breaks for me, I was exhausted by the time we actually got to the airport. I didn't really sleep on the plane, because I didn't want to have a nightmare and freak out, disrupting others and calling attention to ourselves. I mostly looked out the window as we glided above the blanket of clouds, and occasionally rested my head on Rosalie's shoulder and read the same magazine she was looking through at the time.

When it was time to get off, I grabbed my book bag and waited for Emmett to lead us off the plane, which took longer since we were all the way at the back. Once off, we headed over to the baggage claim and waited to get our bags. Within five minutes the turn style was running and we picked up our things relatively quickly. All the while Rose searching on her phone for nearby hotels for us to stay at.

Once she found one that suited her, we got in a cab and were off. I mainly just stared out the window, unfocusing my eyes to the world as I thought about Alice. I wished I had just told her how I felt when they were still here...things may be less complicated somehow, maybe.

"Come on, Bella." Rose said softly.

I hadn't even realized we had stopped, but she was already out of the car with Emmett, waiting on me. I grabbed my backpack and got out, Emmett already had gotten our stuff out of the trunk and was in his arms. Taking my duffel bag from him, we entered the the lobby of a cute little hotel by the beach. The far wall was made of all glass, so it provided an awesome view of the ocean, that was right outside.

Emmett took the few steps to the long desk, while Rose kept her arm around me protectively as we stayed a few steps back and waited.

"Olá, senhor. Posso ajudá-lo?" The desk clerk asked.

"Sim. Uno quarto para três dias, por favor." Emmett replied in perfect Portuguese, while handing the clerk a credit card.

"You tend to learn other languages to pass the time. And it has it's perks, as you can see, so you never need a translator, you can just get everything done yourself." Rose said softly into my ear.

_Made sense._

"Ah, sim. Uma sala, três dias. Aqui está sua chave, senhor. Tenha uma estadiaagradável."

"Obrigado, muito mesmo."

"Alright, one room for three days." Emmett said when he turned around and held up the room key.

"Only three days?" I asked confused.

"Yeah, if the coven we heard about is anywhere near here, it shouldn't take long to find them and see what they know."

"Ah." I replied before snatching the key from his hand and headed out the door.

Staying in the shade of the buildings, even though it was pretty overcast today, we walked down the street a few houses until I came across the number that was on our key. I quickly walked up the steps, eager to take my shoes off and flop on the comfy bed. When I unlocked the door, I was amazed at how beautiful it was. Not to mention its beachfront view.

I let my bags hit the floor with a thud, and my feet gladly took me to the bed, where I immediately fell on the cool, soft covers. It felt like heaven at the moment, and I felt like I could stay this way for a very long time. Rose chuckled as she joined me, letting out an unnecessary breath as she got comfortable. We stayed like that for a while, Rose eventually flipped on the television to check the weather, and I laid there listening.

It seemed as if Mother Nature was on our side, being overcast the rest of today and supposedly tomorrow. By the time the sun had set and I was ready to sleep, when Emmett came into the bedroom, accompanying Rose and I.

"We going now? Emmett asked Rose.

"Yeah. Bella, be careful while we're gone. Hopefully we'll only be a little while."

"Wait, I thought you said you'd take me?"

"We don't know if they are vegetarians, Bella. Most likely not, in a city like this. But tonight we're just going to see if we can catch their scent, which will tell us if they are vegetarians or not, and then get close to get close enough to see where they reside. Once we do, we'll come back, let you know, and go from there. Besides, you need to rest."

I sighed, knowing it best not to fight Rose, because I'd lose anyway.

"Fine."

"Now go sleep. And if you wake up and we still aren't back don't worry. If you need anything, just call me."

"Okay."

Rose hesitated a second before closing the distance between us and hugged me to her. After a second of surprise, I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her back tightly.

"Be safe." She whispered.

I nodded before they headed out the door and left me by myself. I could really get used to this new Rose.

I took this time to take my phone out and let it turn on while I started the shower in the bathroom. Waiting for the water to get warm, I picked the phone up again, not surprised to see a million messages from Charlie. I sighed feeling bad about how I left him with only a vague note. It wasn't like I could tell him the situation, he'd think I was even more crazy than I had been acting these past six months.

I decided to listen to the voice mails after my shower, right now I just needed to get clean. My muscles relaxed as the warm water cascaded down my skinny form, washing away the past twenty-four hours. I would have fallen asleep standing up but I had too much on my mind. I was very curious about all of Charlie's messages. I hoped he wouldn't be too mad, but I knew that he would.

After I got out of the shower, I dried off and changed into some night clothes before I picked up my phone and got in bed. I hesitated a few seconds before I pushed the button and put the phone to my ear. The messages went from Charlie yelling, to talking softy, then getting louder again...and I hated that I was the cause of his roller coaster of emotions. I battled with myself on whether I should send him a text, just confirming that I was alright, or just keeping quiet and not responding at all.

I finally just decided to sleep on it, there was plenty of time to think about it in the morning, but right now I was bushed beyond belief. Turning off my phone for the time being, I set it down on the nightstand, and snuggled into the covers, letting my droopy eyes finally close.

That night I didn't have a nightmare about Jasper, but I did have a hazy dream. I'm not exactly sure where I was, but it was somewhere beautiful, yet lonely. I was in a small apartment, looking out the back window onto a green countryside. When I moved away from it, I walked back through the little apartment, only to come to yet another window. But this time, I gazed out upon a small street below me, where tiny cars zipped past, and people hanging their clothes out their windows to dry.

The dream started to get fuzzy, then faded away altogether, like it was never even there. I woke up to the sound of two muffled voices talking in the other room, and a familiar smell that lingered in my nostrils, but I couldn't place at the moment. It took me a few more minutes to wake up fully, but when I did, I stretched with content then flopped back into my pillow.

"Oh good, you're awake." Rose said as she entered the bedroom. "I got you some lunch."

She held out a brown bag that said something in Portuguese that I didn't even try to read, along with a soft drink, and set it on the nightstand beside me. Finally, now that it was so close to me, I finally recognized the smell as a cheeseburger. My mouth watered just thinking about it, realizing how hungry I was. I sat up quickly, rubbing my eyes before snatching up the bag and pulling out its contents.

"I figured you wouldn't like Portuguese cuisine, so I made a special trip for you."

"Thanks, Rose." I said after I took a big bite of burger. "So...did you find the coven you were looking for?"

"Yes, they reside not too far from here."

"And, do I get to go with you when you go to talk to them?" I asked hopefully.

Her brow furrowed. "Maybe. By their scents, they are just a coven of two. And one seems to drink human blood, while the other is a vegetarian like us."

"I have to go, Rose. I'm so tired of getting information second hand. That's the way it's been all my life, that's the way it was when I was with Edward...except worse."

Fucking Edward barely ever told me anything before it was already too late. I hated being lied to and kept in the dark, I wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Fine, but you'll have to do everything I say. You got that?"

"Yes."

Please with myself, I finished my burger and happily gulped down my drink before I changed my clothes. Emmett and Rose decided that we would go out tonight and talk to the vampires that lived near here, and I was excited to hopefully get some clues as to where Alice was.

After taking a shower so my scent wouldn't be as strong, the sun had started to set, and we we on our way to where Rose and Emmett had followed the vampires' scents the night prior. Emmett carried me, weaving in and out of back roads so we wouldn't be seen. About an hour later, we slowed, and Emmett put me down before rounding a corner and walking down a dimly lit street. Rose ushered me behind her when we reached the right door. Emmett knocked, and we waited for an answer, me not knowing what to expect.

A tall, tan woman with blood red eyes answered the door, and looked at us curiously.

"Hello, my name is Rosalie. This is my husband Emmett, and my sister, Bella. May we come in and speak with you, it's very important. We didn't come to make trouble."

The female rose her eyebrow at the three of us, before looking me up and down before standing aside and letting us enter.

"I'm Anabela, and this is my mate, Carlos." A honey-eyed man stepped into the room. "What is it that brings you here to speak with us?"

"We are looking for my other sister and her mate, and we were wondering if you had come across any American vampires recently?"

"There have been a few American vampires here within the last few years. What are their names?"

"Alice and Jasper. This would have been within the last few months."

"Oh, yes. The psychic and the empath?"

"Yeah, that would be them. Do you know where they were going?"

"I don't know their destination, but I do know that they were heading toward Madrid."

"They didn't reveal much, but they did stay here for a few days with us." Carlos elaborated.

"Did Alice say anything to you that seemed odd, or was she acting strange during their stay?"

Carlos rubbed his beard before he spoke up. "She seemed uncomfortable, and at times sad. But when Jasper would be around her, it was like a switch was flipped, and she would start acting differently. I suppose that was him using his gift on her." He said.

Anabela nodded in agreement. "If I may, why are you looking for them?"

"Jasper is keeping Alice hostage, and using his gift to control her. We're just trying to bring her back home, and away from him."

"Oh, dear. I wish we could give you more information, but they were very private. I hope that you find them."

"Thank you both for your time. If you hear anything about them, please give me a call." Rose took out a card with her name and number on it.

"We will, and we wish you luck on your journey. And you are welcome to stay here for a few days as well, if you like."

"Thank you, but we need must go. And if there is anything we can do in the future to repay you for this information, just call."

"Oh, that's not necessary dear." Anabela waves her hand in the air. "I just wish we could have been of more help to you."

"You've been of more help than we expected. And now we have another clue that will bring us closer to them, and we can't thank you enough."

After we left their apartment, we went back to ours to talk things over. I packed up my clothes as Emmett and Rose lounged on the bed.

"Well, the way I see it, girls...is that we have two options."

"And what are they?" I asked.

"Either steal a car and make the six hour drive to Madrid. OR, we can run and I can carry you...and it will take us about two hours to get there."

I didn't even have to think. "Run." I said as I swung my backpack over my shoulder.

"Sweet!" He jumped off the bed excited. "Let's go."

I grabbed my duffel as Rose and Emmett grabbed their bags, and we headed out the door. Emmett checked us out, and we sped through the country at an incredible speed, invisable to anyone who might be out at this hour of the night. I was running on adrenaline now, my heart pounding with excitement that we actually got a clue so soon in our search. And I was that much closer to Alice, which made me smile.

And so our journey continues. Onward to Spain.

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><p><strong>AN: If you chose to write a review, please commit to writing at least a full sentence. Getting 1 to 3 word reviews is kind of irritating.**

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><p><strong>TRANSLATIONS (In case you were wondering what was being said)<strong>

**Clerk: Olá, senhor. Posso ajudá-lo? (Hello, sir. Can I help you?)**

**Emmett: Sim. Uno quarto para três dias, por favor. (Yes. One room for three days, please.)**

**Clerk: Ah, sim. Uma sala, três dias. Aqui está sua chave, senhor. Tenha uma estadiaagradável. (Ah, yes. One room, three days. Here is your key, sir. Have a pleasant stay.)**

**Emmett: Obrigado, muito mesmo. (Thank you, very much.)**


	6. Spain

**A/N: I'm so excited with all the comments on how you all really like this story! I took a chance with this, not even thinking to continue it, and it has turned out better than I could have even imagined. So thank you, readers.**

**ALSO: I'm surprised some of you already know the truth about Bella's most recent "dream". And for those of you who don't get it yet, you will soon enough.**

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><p>"<em><strong>The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way." - Robert Kiyosaki<strong>_

Madrid at night time was something I couldn't have even imagined. The city was so beautiful, lit with different colored lights all over the place in a classy way, not outlandish like Vegas. No, these complimented the buildings, statues, and fountains throughout the city, and it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I could only imagine what it will look like in the day time.

Once we got close enough, we rounded the corner out of an alley, and walked along the sidewalk until we saw and hailed a cab. Again, Rose checked her phone and chose where we would be staying within a few minutes. This time, it was a large tan building, with gold tinted windows, from what I could see. The way the lights shining up form the ground hit it, it looked sort of like a castle, just much less frightening looking.

Emmett checked us in, and we made it up to our room in minutes. This time there were two beds, separated by a nice mahogany nightstand. I dropped my duffel at the end of the bed closest to the window, and jumped on the bed, forgetting I still had on my backpack. Both Emmett and Rose gave a small laugh before I wiggled out of it and let it fall to the floor.

It was about midnight, and I was tired, even though I really didn't do anything of help the last few days. Emmett and Rose's eyes were starting to get darker, and I knew they would need to hunt soon, but I had no idea if there were any kind of forest animals around here for them to drink. I decided to stay on my side of the room as much as possible, so hopefully, my scent wouldn't bother them too much.

They never said anything about it, so I didn't worry too much. I knew Emmett had good control, since he had been around me quite a bit back in Forks, before they left. But I didn't know about Rose, and the last thing I wanted to do, after all she's done for me recently, was to make her uncomfortable. I opted to take another shower, to lessen the strength of my scent somewhat, and I needed to feel refreshed.

I moved my duffel and backpack off the floor and set them in a chair that was by the window. I knew if I didn't I would trip over it eventually.

"How many more clean pairs of clothes do you have left?" Rose asked, when I pulled out a clean set.

"Um..." I had to think about it for a minute. We had been gone three days, so..."Including this one, four."

"Okay. I'll make sure the next hotel we stay at has a washer and dryer we can use."

"Ugh, you're lucky you can wear the same pair of clothes for days and still look amazing."

"_And _not stink." Emmett added.

"Are you trying to say that I stink, Em?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"I...um...no, never!"

"Nice recovery, babe." Rose commented as she pat him on the back.

I giggled at the look on his face, letting him know I wasn't serious, and he relaxed immediately. I shook my head at him and slid into the bathroom as Rose turned on the TV. More noise for more privacy, but they would still be able to hear everything I was doing, and by now, I was pretty much used to it.

I looked at myself in the mirror after I shed my clothes. It had rained a little bit on the run here, and my hair was still a tad damp, and I felt gross. On second thought, when I saw how big of a tub there was, I decided to take a bath. I hadn't had one in years, and this was just the right tub to do it in! It took a few minutes for it to fill up about halfway, and that's when I poured in some bubble bath liquid in.

Bubbles covered the entire surface within seconds, so I carefully slipped in and turned off the water will my foot. I let myself sink in the water until it was up to my neck, and bubbled tickled my chin. I stayed like that for a long time, just relaxing and trying to clear my mind for the moment. Eventually, Rose knocked on the door and came in slowly.

"We're going to go see if we can pick up any scents, are you going to be okay?"

"Yes. I'm going to head to bed after I'm done in here."

"Okay. Remember, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. We should be back by the time you wake up."

I nodded. "Good luck, and be careful."

"Always am." She smiled before closing the door behind her.

/-/

That night I had the same dream as before. The perfect green countryside out one window, and the small busy street out the other. This time it was more clear, so I could see more detail than the last time. I could see a street sign out the front window, but I couldn't tell what it said. I tried to focus on it, but once again, the dream faded to black, and I woke up to the muffled voices on the TV.

I yawned as I stretched from underneath the covers before I turned over and pulled the sheets back. Cool air met my face and I happily breathed it in after being stuck underneath the blankets for who knows how long.

"Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty." Emmett said from the other bed.

"Mmhm." I was still too out of it to make conversation.

My face was still smashed into the pillow when Rose came over and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Are you hungry, sweetie?" She asked as she pushed back some hair out of my face.

"I could eat." I replied.

"Have anything in particular in mind? The kitchen can fix anything."

"Mmm...surprise me."

I rolled back over, pulling the covers with me.

"In that case, I'll be right back. I think you'll like what I'm going to get. Emmett, look after her."

"Yes, ma'am." He responded before I heard the door open and close.

A few seconds later I heard Emmett move off his bed and suddenly I was bouncing off the bed into the air. My eyes to fly open in shock as I bounced back onto the bed and turned over, realizing he had jumped on the bed. I smacked him on his shoulder, only causing me pain in the process.

"Sorry, I'm just excited to have some alone time with you. I thought we could talk..."

"And you couldn't have just said that and sat down on my bed gently, not giving me a heart attack?" I asked.

"What would be fun in that?" He joked.

I rolled my eyes, but turned to face him, wondering what he wanted to talk about. I had missed him and his inappropriate talks with me. After Edward and I had been dating a while, he gave me the sex talk, vampire style. Little did he know, by then I knew of my feelings toward Alice, and I wouldn't need all the tips he was giving me. Lucky for me, Edward was a prude when it came to sex, so I didn't have to worry about that.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" He asked.

"Your questions are always personal, Em." I smiled.

"True...but this time I'm being serious."

Something I never thought I'd hear...or see.

"Go for it."

He was quiet for a few seconds, his brow furrowed as he turned on his side to look at me.

"When did you realize you were in love with Alice?"

That wasn't exactly what I was expecting him to ask, but that's something I loved about Emmett. You never know what he's going to say.

"I didn't realize it right away, but from the first moment I saw her...something was there. I didn't know what that something was at the time, but I think it was love at first sight. When I realized it, was a few months after Edward and I started dating. I would think about her at night, when I should have been thinking about my boyfriend. Eventually I put all the clues together, and yeah..."

"Did it freak you out at first?"

"Well, I definitely didn't expect to fall for a girl. But the thing I freaked out the most about, was that it was Edward's sister I fell for. At the time, I didn't want to hurt him, but I couldn't help the way I felt. I was still trying to figure things out when you all left."

"I'm sorry." He said after a few moments. "I didn't want to leave you."

I leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek. "I know. I don't blame you all anymore, now that I know the truth."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me into one of his signature bear hugs.

"I love you, Bells."

I smiled into his shoulder and pushing him down on the bed and rested my head on his broad chest.

"I love you too, Em."

We laid there for a while longer, listening to the fast talking weatherman on TV, as I started to doze off.

"Aw, you two are so cute" Rose said as she came through the door.

I lifted my head up and smiled at her. "I love you, Rose."

She stopped for a split second, looking at me carefully, like she was surprised to hear me say that to her.

"I love you, too."

Clearing her throat, she came over to me and held out something in her hand as she sat a drink down on the nightstand. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious, and I took it happily, my stomach rumbling as if on cue. I sat up and unwrapped the item quickly, eager to stuff whatever it was down my throat.

"A burrito?" I asked, looking at the bulging tortilla wrap.

"Shawarma. It's better than any American burrito."

Hm, I've never heard of such a thing, but I looked past that since it smelled so good. I dug in fast, loving the flavors that exploded in my mouth. Rose was right, it was better than any burrito I've ever had, and one of the best things I've ever ate.

"Told you you'd like it."

"Invrdbtyouagin."

"...Okay, I'm a vampire with super human hearing, and I didn't even catch that."

I swallowed hard before repeating myself. "I said, 'I'll never doubt you again'."

"Oh." She smiled. "Well, I'm glad you learned your lesson."

/-/

Before I knew it, the day was over, and it was time for Rose and Emmett to head out. Rose gave me the usual 'don't be afraid to call me' talk before they left, and I couldn't help but smiled at how worried about me she was. All this time I thought she didn't care, but she did. And now she was the big sister I never had.

I watched TV for a few hours, even though I understood absolutely none of it, it kept me busy. By one in the morning, I was tired enough to turn in, so I turned down the lights and tried to relax. I was out for a while, but not long enough to get into a dream state, when I heard Rose and Emmett come back in. I glanced at the clock, which read four o'clock in the morning.

"Sorry to wake you, B."

"Mm, isnoprolem."

"There she goes again...what?"

I pushed the pillow away from my face. "It's no problem."

I sat up slowly, might as well as since I was awake.

"Find them?" I asked as I stood up, anxious.

Rose lowered her head and shook it, notifying me that they didn't get any new information.

"Really..._nothing_?" I asked in disbelief.

"We did find where they reside. Another couple, Alejandro and Maria, in Valencia. They smelled us when we approached their residence, and came out, thinking we wanted to fight."

"What happened?"

"There was no fight. We told them why we were there and everything was okay. They say a lot of vampires pass through here, but they are very private and tend to not want to communicate with other vampires, because they've had trouble in the past."

"But even after all that, we got nada." Emmett commented.

Rose shot Emmett a look before turning back to me.

"They didn't come across Alice and Jasper, so I don't think they headed that way after they passed through here. But don't think we're gonna give up hope though, we _will _find them."

_Yes we would._

I got off the bed for a moment and retrieved the world map that was in my backpack and laid it out on the bed in front of both of them.

"Where are we going next?" I asked, taking my spot next to Rose again.

She scanned the map for a few seconds, then took her finger and pointed to our next location: France.

"Alejandro said that they are friends with the French coven, so they know we are coming. Hopefully we'll get some more clues from them."

_I hope so, too._


	7. France

"_**Your lost friends are not dead, but gone before, advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod."- Unknown**_

We decided to travel that night because it was supposed to be sunny the next day, and I didn't want to waste any time. Rose and Emmett didn't mind, and they were all for it, only concerned because I hadn't gotten much sleep. The flight from Madrid to Paris was surprisingly fast. We were off the plane and in the cab to a hotel in just over two hours, and Rose found a very nice hotel that pretty much had the Eiffel Tower in it's backyard.

I never ever thought that I would be this close to it, or even be here for that matter. I've always wanted to travel, but with the person I wanted to spend my life with...and that was Alice. I closed the curtain to the window rather forcefully, my anger for Jasper rising in me again. He took her away from me, and all I wanted to do was make him pay for all that he's done to Alice. No one deserves to have their free will taken away from them, and that's exactly what he did. But what was I talking about? I was just a weak, little human. My threats would do nothing to him...just like in my nightmares. He was the one in control.

If we went about something the wrong way, I could lose her, and I would do anything to prevent that. I don't even think that Em and Rose have a plan as far as what to do when we find them, and I was afraid to ask. I knew both of them were more than pissed at Jasper, and even though I wished I could kick his ass myself, I was scared to to what Rose and Em might be capable of. For the time being, I didn't bring it up, and neither did they.

I climbed back on the bed and rested my head on Rose's shoulder, feeling comfortable, even though she her body was hard. I felt her shift under me, then her arm wrapped around my back, holding me to her. I was seconds away from drifting off when Emmett came back into the room, done with his phone conversation. Interested, I raised my head and looked at him droopy-eyed, waiting to hear what was going on.

"We decided to meet at a café, down by the Eiffel Tower tonight."

"Can I come?" I asked.

"Bella, we've talked about this."

"I know, but you guys will be there with me-"

"I'll think about it, and we'll see when the time comes. Right now, are you hungry?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, but I'm more tired. I think I'm gonna nap for a while, then eat when I wake up."

I laid my head back on her shoulder and closed my eyes, too tired to try and convince her anymore right now. I felt a soft blanket surround me, and next thing I knew, I was out to the world around me.

I had the reoccurring dream once again. This time, things still getting more crisp in detail that it lacked the previous times. I could now see the lines and cracks in the stone street below me as I looked out the front window. The faces on the people outside were clearer, and they ranged from looking like locals, to tourists walking around. Though I still couldn't read the sign down at the end of the street, but I knew I was close to getting there.

/-/

"Well, thirty minutes until we have to go." Emmett pointed out as he looked at the clock on the nightstand.

I looked at Rose, hoping she had decided to take me along.

"Aw, crap." She muttered.

"Please, Rose." I whined, giving her the puppy dog look and sticking out my bottom lip.

She rolled her eyes at me, but I knew no one could resist my sad puppy look. A few seconds went by as her face contorted from irritated to reluctance.

"Okay, fine!" She said, throwing her arms up in surrender.

I smiled in victory before I jumped off the bed and hugged her tight.

"Yeah, yeah...go get ready then." She said before kissing the top of me head and pushing me into the bathroom.

/-/

We picked a table outside the café and waited. My eyes drifted to the window and my eyes widened as I saw some most amazing looking pastries ever, sitting in the window next to me. My mouth salivated, but I tried to focus on the reason why I was here in the first place: The vampire meeting. I took my eyes away from the delicious looking treats, and looked around. The Eiffel Tower was not too far away, and it was an amazing site. The contrast between the lit up monument and the starry night sky was so beautiful and romantic.

I put that from my mind when Rose put her arm around me, and I noticed two figures coming towards us. When they got under the light of a close streetlamp, I could see their eyes were crimson red. I leaned into Rose's touch, thinking this was a better idea in my head that I come, and I realized how much I was putting myself in danger at this moment. But I knew I was safe. I trusted Emmett and Rose with my life, and I knew they would do anything to protect me from harm.

"Good evening." The woman started as she sat across from Rose. "You must be the Cullens, I presume."

"I'm Emmett, and this is Rose and Bella." He said, motioning to us when he introduced Rose and I.

"Pleasure to meet you. I am Élise, and this is my mate Sophie." She gestured as the second figure sat down next to her, across from me. "Alejandro said that you were looking for some information regarding your siblings, yes?"

"Correct." Emmett answered. "We are looking for our brother and sister, and we were wondering if you had come across any vampires recently that might be them."

"As you know, Europe is the most populated area for vampires, so we get all kinds coming through here almost all of the time." Sophie spoke up for the first time.

"Yes, we realize that. Which is why it's important for you to remember if you came across a couple in the recent months. Their names are Alice and Jasper, but they might not go by the last name Cullen...but Hale, or maybe even Whitlock." Rose interjected.

"Ah, yes. I ran into a Jasper Whitlock while out hunting a month or two ago." Élise stated. "Southern accent?"

"Yeah, that would be him." Emmett nodded.

"He said that him and his wife were passing through, but were staying a few days, and I asked him if they needed a place to stay...because it can get very sunny out. We are used to taking in Nomads and the occasional traveler, because we know our place is safe."

"And did they stay with you?"

"Yes, but only for a day and a half."

"During that time, did Alice ever talk to you? Did she say anything that you thought was odd, or was she acting strange?" Rose asked.

"She didn't talk much. Just stayed near the window and looked like she was out of it half the time." Sophie nodded in agreement with her mate.

"There was one thing though that really stood out to me though." Élise said. "Jasper wasn't finished hunting when I ran into him and brought them both back to our place. Him and I went out again, but Alice refused to come."

"Which was very strange, because her eyes were pitch black and she looked like she was starving." Sophie added.

"Was Jasper hunting humans?" I asked, everyone surprised that I spoke up.

"Yes, of course. I mean, I know that you all don't by the color of your eyes. But he seemed more than happy to hunt people."

"Alice would never hurt anyone, that's why she refused." Rose commented.

"Maybe she was saving all her strength so she could fight him on that. She would never let him make her intentionally hurt someone." I said back to her.

"I can't help but feel we are in the dark about something..." Sophie looked at all of us confused.

"Jasper is an Empath, and can use his gift to make someone do anything he wants. That's how he got Alice to go with him, but like Bella said...maybe she is saving her strength to fight him on that, since she can't do anything else at the moment."

"Wait, why is he making her go with him in the first place?" Élise asked.

"It's a long story. The important thing is, we need to find them so we can get her away from him. Do you have any idea where they were headed?"

"Well, he never mentioned catching a flight or anything, so I assumed that they were running to wherever they were headed. Which would mean they would have had to pass through one of three places. Italy, Germany, or Belgium. But, they could have also taken a boat to the UK, and from there they could have gone to Ireland, or Norway into Sweden." Sophie explained.

"Crap." I muttered under my breath.

It seemed like there were so many fucking possibilities that we had now. A few moments ago my hopes were high, but now, it seemed like we still had a long ways to go.

"If you like, we could help you track them down." Élise offered.

Sophie shook her and in agreement and turned to us with a soft smile. I guess human drinking vampires weren't so bad after you look past the killing people part.

"We remember what they smelled like...so if you like, we can form a plan, go separate ways, and call each other when we've scouted an area to see what we've found."

"We'll take any help we can get." Emmett said with relief.

Rose nodded in agreement with him, and I started to have a glimmer a hope again. Two covens searching would cover a lot more area in half the time it would have taken just Emmett and Rose. I was so thankful that these two ladies wanted to help.

"Great. So how do you want to go about this, then?" Sophie asked.

"Well, before we do anything, I think our father may have the number of an Irish coven member. So if he does, and I can get a hold of them and see what they know, that will save us time and energy so we can focus on other areas."

"Spendid!"

"Here's my cell number." Emmett grabbed a pencil and napkin from the table and wrote down the number. "I'll call you tomorrow to tell you what we found out, then we'll go from there."

Not long after that, we said goodnight to Élise and Sophie, and headed back to the hotel. But only after Rose stopped in a got me a croissant, God love her. When we got back into the hotel room, I sat on the bed and took my shoes and socks off before pulling a pair of clean pajamas out.

"I'll call Carlisle." Emmett said as he took out his phone and started talking after a few seconds. "Hey, we need to the number to the Irish coven, you have it right? Yeah. We will. Thanks, we'll keep in touch."

He redialed the number Carlisle had given to him, and waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"Hello, this is Emmett Cullen from the Olympic Coven. Yes, Carlisle gave me your number because we were hoping you would have some information that would help us. Yes, we're searching for our brother and sister, Alice and Jasper. Have you heard or seen anything recently that could help us find them?"

Rose and I waited patiently, but lucky for her, she could hear the whole conversation.

"Oh, okay. Really? That would be great. Thank you, very much, Siobhan. You too, goodbye."

Once again, he dialed a number he was given, and waited for an answer.

"Hello, this is Emmett Cullen from the Olympic coven. I just spoke with Siobhan from the Irish coven and she said that maybe you could help me. I'm looking for my brother and sister, and I'm wondering if you have had any vampires traveling through recently? Alice and Jasper. Yes, it would have been in the last month or two. Really? Yeah, any information is good information. Okay. Thank you, so much, Ella. Goodbye."

He looked at me with a smile on his face, that could only mean good news.

"Well, they haven't been through Ireland or the UK that they know of, but, they might have gone through Germany. Ella says her coven doesn't know the Germans that well, but the last time they crossed paths with each other was about a month ago, and they had said something about some passerbys in their area, but didn't elaborate. So...we still have to figure things out with Élise and Sophie, but it looks like we're going to Germany."

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><p><strong>AN: Next time...the manhunt begins! **


	8. Revelations

"_**The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side." - Margaret Carty**_

About a week later, Emmett and Rose had searched through Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. While Élise and Sophie went to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Both of the groups came back with pretty much no information whatsoever, and we all were getting more irritated as time went on.

Since none of the covens we'd gone to for information after France had nothing new to tell us, or anything at all, our hopes were low, but we still weren't going to give up. Rose, Emmett and I were in Poland now, planning on meeting up with Élise and Sophie within the next few hours as they make their way to us, passing through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. I hoped they came upon someone that knew something, because we were only running on the last information we had gotten from the girls, and that wasn't enough.

I kept wishing that I could help them, but I couldn't do that while I was still a stupid human. If only Edward would have changed me when I asked, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Or at least if I did, I would be able to assist in the hunt someway. Carlisle and Esme had made their way back to Alaska a little bit after we started this search, where they stayed in case Edward was to show up again unannounced.

They didn't want him to show up and everyone be gone, that would raise his suspicions, and most likely tell Jasper. And we would have even a harder time finding them then we already have. Rose and Emmett had contacted all the covens again, not only to see if they've come across anything since we were there, but to also ask them to keep quiet about it in case they do come back through their areas again, we wouldn't want to scare them off.

The only thing keeping me sane through this whole process is my dreams. Yes, I had the recurring again, but nothing really came from that. Once everything was crystal clear, and I could even read the sign outside the window...it was in another language, so a lot of help that did. But there were also a few new dreams as well, and I didn't know what to make of any of them either. There were of places I didn't recognize, and had no clue where they were, but I knew I must be having them for a reason. I just had to figure that part out.

I didn't know if these places were just random and had some hidden message in them that I needed to decode, or was I seeing these exact places because of their actual meaning, and nothing hidden about them. It confused me, but also intrigued me, and I thought about asking Carlisle about it. Since he's a doctor and all, I figured he would know a little something about dreams.

But for the time being I kept quiet, not wanting to distract anyone with my thoughts that could be me being silly and just looking too deep into things. The last time Emmett talked to Carlisle was when he asked for the Irish conven's phone number, and that was over a week ago. I knew Carlisle must have been waiting for new information, but everyone was pretty much going all the time doing something, they didn't even have a minute to call in as of yet.

I did know that Emmett was planning to call Carlisle when Élise and Sophie met up with us, maybe with some info that we could share, other than the fact that we teamed up with them. Maybe tonight I would speak with Carlisle about my dreams, when things settled down a little, and while the rest were planning our next move.

"I hate just sitting around." Emmett commented as he got off the bed and started pacing.

"Think how I feel. I can't contribute one bit." I replied.

"That's not true, Bella."

I looked at him skeptically.

"Oh, really? Name one thing I've done to help."

He was silent, thinking to himself with his mouth open for a few moments before I had enough.

"Exactly. I've contributed nothing, and if anything, I'm an anchor weighing you down. I made you guys drag me along, and now I'm thinking that wasn't the best idea." I admitted.

"Don't say that." Rose interjected. "You are _not _an anchor, and you didn't make us drag you along. You are my sister, and whether you think so or not, you've helped us just by being here."

"Maybe so, but-"

"No buts!"

"I can see that you two are thirsty!" I raised my voice. " And you can't survive off the little critters you find while out running around. On top of that, my scent is just making it worse for you."

"We're getting by fine, Bells." Emmett started. "We'd never ever lost control around you...we love you too much."

"I hate that I'm making it hard for you, I just want to help, but I can't!"

/-/

Both had left me alone for a little bit after my emotional outburst, while I hid in the bathroom for some privacy. So many thoughts were running through my head, and I just wanted to have a break for all of it for a while. I was exhausted and stressed from worrying about Alice all the time for I don't know how long it's even been since we left.

I rose up from the floor where I had been sitting for at least the past hour, thinking. My leg was asleep and I stumbled backward, only to be caught by Rose.

"You okay?" She asked quietly, getting the double meaning in her question.

"I'll be fine." I answered.

"Élise and Sophie will be here in a few minutes."

"'Kay."

She let me go and walked out of he bathroom. I washed my hands and splashed some cold water on my face before I heard a knock on the door. I dried my face and met them out in the bedroom, where, by the looks on their faces, they had nothing good to say.

"Hello, again, Bella." Élise greeted me.

I smiled to both of them before I took a seat on the bed by the window.

"Anything?" Emmett asked for all of us.

Sophie shook her head no before lowering it, almost as if she was ashamed that she didn't have anything for us.

"That's okay." Emmett sighed. "We'll keep looking. We _will_ find them."

"Have you talked to Carlisle yet?" Sophie asked.

"Naw, I was waiting until you two got here, just in case there was any new info."

"Sorry to disappoint. I can't believe that _no one_ has come across them."

"We will eventually. There's only so many places they can hide..."

/-/

"What are you thinking about?" Rose asked as she sat next to me on the bed. "You've been quieter than usual, and you always look like you're in deep thought about something."

I scooted over and laid my head in her lap. She began running her fingers through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp as she did.

"Just these dreams I've been having...their confusing me."

"What are they about?"

"Not really about anything, just...of places I've never seen or been to. I don't know what it means, if anything."

"Well, describe one for me."

I decided to tell her about my first one that I had, since I knew it the best.

"There's this recurring one that I have, it started with me looking out a window onto a nice, green countryside. But then I move through the apartment I'm in, and look out the front window, where there is a narrow street with tan buildings. Some people are hanging clothes on a line to dry, other locals are walking along the streets, or riding bikes. Occasionally a tourist passes by. There is a sign at the end of the street, but I can't read it because it's in another language."

"Hm. Tell me about another one."

I then chose the most recent one I had just the other night. Not only was it the most vivid, but it was the oddest one to me.

"My last dream, I was in what looked like a town square. Cobblestone streets, a big fountain. Everyone was wearing red...and they were all gathered in front of a huge clock tower..."

Rose's fingers stopped for a split second, but then continued what she was doing.

"I don't know what was going on, but it seemed like they were celebrating something." I continued.

"Maybe you're onto something, Bells, and you just don't know it."

/-/

"I can't believe Jasper is killing humans again." Esme said sadly.

"I thought he had gotten his urges under control." Carlisle thought aloud.

"That dude is gonna get his ass handed to him by me when I find them!" Emmett threatened.

"Pfft." Rose scoffed. "Get in line."

"I think the main reason for that is strength." I spoke up. "Vampires who drink human blood are more powerful, right?"

"Yeah." Emmett answered.

"So then he wants to stay more powerful that Alice so he can control her, and its easier now that he's drinking human blood."

"It wouldn't take much to overpower her now, if she s still refusing to drink." Esme commented.

"Maybe at first it was for the power, but now he's just...addicted to the human blood ?"

"Maybe so, Bella." Carlisle replied. "But if so, that's his choice, and we can't do anything about it. But he knows that he won't be welcome back to the family as long as he keeps doing it."

"As far as I'm concerned, he was out of the family along with Edward when I found out the reason they made us leave." Rose said.

Emmett nodded. "I second that."

"Now, I know those two have made some bad choices, but-"

"Don't make excuses for them, Carlisle." Emmett interjected. "They knew what they were doing the whole damn time, and I don't want two liars and manipulators in this family."

"I just can't believe they did this..." Esme sighed heavily.

"I know you two always want to see the good in people," Rose started. "...but you can't ignore the bad. What they did isn't something they can just say sorry for and everything will be fine. They lied to us to get us to leave, and that almost killed Bella, the exact opposite of why we supposedly left. Not to mention that Jasper is holding Alice against her will. That, all combined, makes me not ever want to forgive them."

"Rosalie, I'm not defending their actions." Carlisle replied. "I know what they did was wrong, and I want to get Alice back just as much as you all do." He took an unnecessary breath. "Which is why Esme and I are coming to help. I have a feeling that you're getting closer to them, and we should be ready. Jasper is a clever man, and we don't know if he has anything up his sleeve for when you find them. Esme and I can also retrieve some animal blood for Alice, so you don't have to stop your search and do that."

"Alright, the more people the better. But I don't think that he's expecting us to find them, being the cocky bastard he usually is."

"That's it!" Rose's face lit up and I could almost see a light bulb blink on over her head.

"What is it, babe?" Emmett asked.

"What you said, that he isn't expecting us to find them."

She waited for us to catch on, but we were all silent, not knowing what she wanted.

"Yeah..." Emmett tried to get her to hurry up and tell us what she was excited about.

"Ugh, fine. Where is the absolute last place that we would go looking for them?"

I still had no clue, but waited for someone to figure it out.

"Bella said she's been having dreams about places she's never been, her most recent one was of a festival outside of a clock tower, sound familiar?"

Carlisle gasped in response, knowing what she was describing, and answered. "Italy."

"Why would that be the last place you'd look?" I asked, apparently out of the loop.

Rose cocked her eyebrow at me before answering.

"The Volturi reside there..."

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><p><strong>AN: That's right, we're going to Italy! **

**P.S. - I finally made a banner for this story, link to the picture is on my profile. Check it out and let me know what you think!**


	9. Taking Risks

**A/N: I took down the previous version of chapter nine because I had to make some adjustments. I'm sorry for the people that already read it, but the first version was rushed, and I was very uncertain about posting it. I didn't have anyone to give me an opinion about it, so I just posted it because I like to keep my readers happy with frequent updates. I'm sorry that I let that cloud my vision, instead of taking more time and producing something that I was sure about. For those who liked what I had before, you might be mad at me for what I changed. I'm sorry again. Now, _this _is what I really wanted to write. A lot is the same, just some sections have been cut out or added to. If this is your first time reading this chapter, then ignore what I just said.**

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><p>"<em><strong>Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking." Jim McMahon<strong>_

"Yeah...still lost. Who are The Volturi?"

"Just a second, Bella." She sighed. "Carlisle-"

"Already getting ready. We'll meet you in Florence, then go from there."

"Sounds good, call me when you land." Rose hung up the phone and turned back to me. "The Volturi are very dangerous. They are pretty much the rulers of the vampire world, and will kill to enforce the law."

"Vampires have laws?" I asked, confused.

"Only a few that they enforce regularly."

"And...what are those?"

I was kind of afraid to ask, seeing as how Rose was reacting.

"The number one rule as a vampire is to never let our existence be known to humans."

_Then that would mean..._

You've broken the law, with me."

She nodded. "Technically Edward broke the law, since he's the one that told you. But we're all held accountable."

So Rose was right. After I first met her, she said that I would be nothing but trouble. At the time, I didn't know how she could say that, but now I understood. They were putting their lives on the line for me and I didn't even know it.

"Why would he be want to be with me when it is against the law?"

I was so confused. If that is the law, then why intentionally break it?

"Because you blood sang to him, and that made him think that you were the one."

"He never intended to change me though, so why would risk getting punished?"

"I never understood Edward and his decisions, but I'm not sorry that he broke the law with you. You changed this family for the better."

"No, I ripped it apart. You wouldn't of had to leave if it wasn't for me and my stupid feelings."

"Your feelings aren't stupid, and you didn't rip apart the family, Edward and Jasper did. Neither had the sense to bow out gracefully and let you and Alice be...they were selfish."

There was a long pause. I didn't know how to respond to that, because from my end, I would agree with Rose. But I also could see where Jasper was coming from at first. If Alice was mine and someone was in love with her, I'd get possessive too.

"What _is_ the punishment, for breaking the law?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Death." She answered quietly, after a moment.

"Even if I want to be changed eventually, and I don't tell anybody?"

"I've never dealt with The Volturi, Bells. But from what I hear, they don't take mercy on anyone, no matter what their reason. It doesn't mean you can't tell anyone, you just have to not get caught."

It seems like it would be hard to hide that sort of thing. Well, for a normal person anyway...I had no trouble because I was different that most people. If I was to tell anyone, it would be Charlie. It was the only way to explain everything that's gone on with me since I met the Cullens, that I could think of anyway. I still had yet to come up with a good excuse for why I left with just a crappy note to say that I'd be back at some point. I couldn't even start to think about that now, when we now all had The Volturi to worry about.

"How bad of an idea do you think it would be to tell Charlie? How else am I going to explain my sudden departure?"

"Bella, it's your choice. From what I've seen and heard of Charlie, he's a good guy...but I'm not sure how well he'd take this information. Especially since you want to be one of us, I'm sure he would protest."

"Are you still against me...becoming like you?"

"I love you, and will respect whatever you chose in the end. Just make sure you've done everything you want as a human before you change, because you can't go back." She finished, then started pacing the length of the hotel room.

I knew Rose was sad that her human life had ended so suddenly, when there was things she still wanted to do. I understand why, she didn't chose this life, but I don't blame Carlisle either. He thought he was doing the right thing by saving her, and if I had been in his shoes, I would have done they same thing. I don't know the extent of what happened to her, though. Just bits and pieces I got from Edward and Alice in conversations.

But I did think about what she said, and considered it for a while. Was there any human experience I wanted to do before I turned? There was only one big thing that I wanted, and I felt embarrassed about wanting it as much as I did, but I couldn't help it. I'm a teenager with hormones, but I didn't think I'd ever get it from the person I want it from. I wanted to know what sex felt like as a human, but I only wanted it from one person, and there was this high doubt in me that that would ever happen.

"You said laws, so what's another big one?" I asked.

Rose stopped her pacing and leaned on the dresser in front of me.

"That we don't make spectacles of ourselves." She responded. "Pretty much, that we don't kill a lot of people in one area because that will draw attention, and The Volturi definitely wouldn't like that."

Least I didn't have to worry about that one.

"And death is the same punishment?"

"Death is the only punishment. The Volturi don't give second chances."

/-/

Now that we had made plans with Carlisle and Esme, Rose convinced Élise and Sophie to go back to France, not wanting them to be involved if things go sour in Italy. I thanked them for their help, and they departed with the request that Rose call them to let them know how things went. I knew they would be our allies if we ever needed them again, and I was grateful for everything they had done for us.

I packed my duffel and book bag, and we left the hotel and headed to the airport. We took a plane from Warsaw to Florence, found a nearby hotel, and waited. I could tell Rose and Emmett were raring to go, but it was best to wait for Carlisle and Esme to get here first. They didn't like that we were so close and had to wait, but it was better than going now and having no backup if something were to go wrong.

In the meantime, I slept, catching up because I hadn't gotten much in the last week due to stress. Now that we most likely knew where they were, I could relax a bit more, and just hope that I would be seeing my Alice soon. When Rose got the call from Carlisle the next day, I knew they had landed. She informed them of where we were, and everyone got anxious, a good and bad way. They wanted to go out and search, and I was anxious and happy, because I hadn't seen either of my second parents in so long.

When Carlisle and Esme finally arrived at out hotel room, I was instantly pulled into a hug. I eagerly hugged back, wrapping my arms around Esme's neck and taking in her familiar, calming smell. When I pulled back, she covered my face in motherly kisses, and I couldn't resist giggling. She looked exactly as I remembered, just with darker circles under her eyes like the rest of them, but her eyes were bright gold. I assumed they fed right before coming.

"I missed you so much, Bella." She said before pulling me to her again for a shorter hug.

As soon as she let me go, another familiar body wrapped around me, and I rested my head on his chest as I held him to me.

"It's so good to see you, Bella." Carlisle said in his smooth, tender voice.

He let me go, but not before I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, to show him that I was happy to see him too.

After all the hello hugs, Carlisle pulled some containers of animal blood out of a backpack, and gave them to Rose and Emmett. I didn't even want to know how they managed to travel with all that and not get caught. I was just thankful that Rose and Em were getting what they needed, and now everyone would be at the top of their game. Not that I expected a fight or anything, Carlisle wasn't one for violence, so I was expecting that as a last resort.

I sat on the edge of my bed, Esme following, and pulling me into her as the others talked about what we were going to do. Eventually they decided to head out right then, since it was an rainy day, so not many people were out roaming the streets, it was a perfect time to start. They would go and see if they could catch either Jasper's or Alice's scent, and then come report back to us, and go from there. They had their suspicions that they were somewhere near Volterra, but I knew they were hoping that wasn't the case.

They were afraid of the Volturi, mostly because of me...since they were breaking the law, and I was worried for them more than ever. Esme stayed with me to keep me company while the others were out searching. We talked about everything she could think of, and now that she knew the truth of how I felt about Alice, she was so happy for me. And because I loved to see her happy, I couldn't tell her that I doubted Alice felt the same way...I mean, why would she?

I must have dozed off, because I woke up with a jolt as the hotel room door closed, my head in Esme's lap. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, seeing Emmett entering the room and sitting down on the bed. I leaned over and looked at the clock, four o'clock PM. It was the next day already,

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"We split up to cover more ground. I went South, Rose went North to the East, and Carlisle went North to the West. We're supposed to meet back here."

"You didn't find anything?"

"Nah. A few vampires are down in Calambria, but they haven't come across Alice or Jasper."

"I got nothing either." Rose said as she came in the door. "Carlisle's right behind me."

A few moments later, he came through the door as well, and we all turned our attention to him.

"I found their scents and followed them into a neighborhood just outside Volterra." He announced to us. "I sat back and observed for a while, but I never saw them come or go. I think we should go as soon as possible, so that if Jasper catches our scent in the meantime, he won't get too far if they run." Pausing for a second, then he continued. "Now we just need to figure out the best way to go about this." He said, glancing at me.

I knew that I was the problem. Having a human that knows about the existence of vampires, get so close to the vampire rulers, wasn't a good idea.

"I can stay here." I said reluctantly.

"You came too far just to leave you behind, Bella." Rose commented.

"It's more dangerous if you take me though. Me being with you so close to The Volturi is just asking for something bad to happen."

I could see that Carlisle was thinking about it, resting his chin in his hand and furrowing his brow.

"The Volturi rarely come out, even when it's overcast and they can roam freely. So if we go right now, we should be safe, as long as we don't get too close, or run into one of their rats."

/-/

After talking through everything, they just decided that it would be easier to run there, since it would be so much faster. I took a quick shower to lessen my scent, put on clean clothes, and we left. Emmett carried me once again, hiding my face in his shoulder as I was pelted with raindrops. It didn't take long to get close to our destination, and Emmett put me down so we all walked the rest of the few streets that were left, Carlisle leading the way.

We rounded the corner into the another street, and I stopped in my tracks.

"What is it, Bella?" Esme asked, concerned.

"This is the street that was in my dream." I said, looking around me.

_That only had to mean..._

I looked up to the apartment building to my left and pointed to a second floor window.

"There." I said.

Everyone looked where I gestured and started walking again, Esme holding my hand, but keeping me behind her. Carlisle was just about to turn the knob to get into the building when they all stopped and cocked their heads to listen.

"He's running." Carlisle said. "Emmett, Rose, come with me."

They shot off, disappearing in a second, leaving Esme and I. Wasting no time, she turned the door knob and lead the way up the stairs, following Alice or Jasper's scent, I guessed, to an apartment door. Not bothering to knock, she turned the knob that was locked, but broke it easily and let us in. She closed the door behind us and I looked around frantically, recognizing the living room from my dream. The back window was open, curtain blowing in the wind that was coming though, where I figured Jasper had made his escape.

Esme blurred into what I assumed was the bedroom, to the right of the living room, and I followed her. Finding her kneeling beside a bed, taking off her backpack. Alice was sitting on the small bed, leaning up against the wall with her eyes closed. My heart started to pound as I ran over to Esme's side. While she got the animal blood ready, I carefully sat on the bed next to Alice. I rose my hand and gently caressed her soft face, getting a good look at her.

She looked so exhausted, with dark purple circles under her eyes, her dark hair uncharacteristically flat, and her body slumped. I couldn't tell if she was conscious or not, but I hoped there wasn't anything permanently wrong with her. I didn't know much about vampires, seeing as Edward kept me in the dark about it intentionally, but I figured anything was possible.

"Alice?" I whispered.

Her eyebrow twitched in response a few seconds later, and relief washed over me. Esme vanished for a few seconds, then came back, a glass in hand, and started pouring blood into it for Alice.

"Can you open you eyes?" I asked.

She struggled for a minute, her eyelids fluttering before she was able to pry them open to reveal her coal black eyes. Hers found mine a second later, then ghost of a smile tugged at her lips.

"Hey, you." She said in a breathy, scratchy voice.

I smiled back letting a tear fall down my face, resisting the urge to hug her and never let her go. But we had to get her fed before I could do that. I moved aside, switching places with Esme so she could help Alice drink the blood. As she raised the glass to her mouth, I let my hand find hers, squeezing lightly and she gulped down glass after glass. Her eyes slowly regained the gold I was used to seeing.

"How do you feel, honey?" Esme asked.

Next thing I knew she had thrown her arms around Esme and I, and was squeezing us to her. Esme chuckled at the response as I wrapped both my arms around her waist and buried my face in her neck, taking in her delicious scent that I had missed so much. I smiled when Esme's arms hugged both of us, and I felt like I was where I was meant to be. In the arms of the girl I'm in love with, and my second mom.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but no matter how long I got to stay in this moment, it would never be enough. Eventually Esme let us both go, excusing herself to call Carlisle, leaving Alice and I still embracing. I felt if I let her go, she would disappear again, so I squeezed her even tighter. A few minutes later she pulled back to look at me before she spoke.

"You know, if you were a vampire, I would be kicking you butt right now for trying to kill yourself."

"I know." I whimpered, my eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry."

I sobbed into her shirt for a few minutes before she pulled me back again to look me in the eye, wiping my tears away as she gently held my face.

"Just promise me that you'll never _ever_ try that again."

"If you promise you won't leave me." I replied.

She nodded. "Nothing will ever separate us again, I promise."

She rested her forehead on mine, and I enjoyed our closeness.

"Alice?"

"Yeah, Bells?"

I took a deep breath, trying not to hyperventilate. "I have to tell you something..."

I paused for a few seconds, getting the courage to reveal my biggest secret. I was just about to blurt it out when I saw Esme come back into the bedroom.

"Girls?" Esme said as she came back into the bedroom. "I hate to interrupt, but-"

Alice's eyes glazed over, causing Esme to stop. We didn't have to wait long though, she blinked as she came to with a worried expression on her face.

"We have to go." She announced.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing good..."

Grabbing my hand, we followed Esme out the door, the way we had come in, stopping in the alley just before getting onto the main street. Alice and Esme shared a knowing look, and I was so confused, being let out of the loop again.

"Bella, we need to run. Hop on my back." Alice gestured.

As usual, I did as I was told. Thankfully the rain had stopped, so I wouldn't be drenched by the time we reached...wherever we were headed. The speed at which we were going though, I couldn't handle, and I buried my face into the back of Alice's neck to keep from getting sick.

It wasn't long of a run, thank goodness, and we stopped just after a minute or so. When Alice let me down, I noticed we were behind a building, and I gave Alice a questioning look.

"Just precaution. I didn't want anyone seeing us arrive so fast. Come on, we have to go."

She grabbed my hand once again, and we picked up out pace once we rounded the corner of the building, and walking in the exact same place from my dream, except void of all people. I had a really bad feeling about this...

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><p><strong>AN: Special thanks to** **azrael8919.**


	10. Betrayal

_**"I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me." - Cao Cao**_

As we got closer to the large, black doors, the more nervous I got. Not just for me, but for all of us. There was obviously something wrong and no one was telling me. I hate nothing more than being left in the dark...

"Stay quiet unless you're spoken to." Alice said, keeping her eyes on the doors.

As soon as we got up to them, they opened with a loud creak, and we stepped inside the cold building. Alice let my hand go and wrapped her arm around my waist, holding me protectively as a blonde vampire stepped out of a door down the hallway and walked towards us.

"There you are. Aro sent me to see what was taking so long." She said before looking me up and down, then turning on her heel and going back the way she came. "Follow me."

The two doors behind us closed with a loud thud, which made me jump. Alice tightened her grip on me when I noticed two vampires were the ones that had shut the doors. I tried my best to keep my breathing under control as we did as we were told, following the girl down the hall, as the two vampires followed us. After turning a corner and descending two flights of stairs, we came to an elevator, which opened when the blonde pressed a bottom.

She moved aside, letting the two vampires behind us go in first, then instructed us to go in next. This time I got a good look at both their faces from the bright elevator lights. One was tall and meaty with black hair, halfway covering his right eye. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, but it was hard to tell with the mean look on his face. The other was much younger looking...maybe in his late twenties, with dirty blonde hair that was combed forward. The only thing the two had in common were the back robes they were wearing, along with the blonde girl.

Finally she stepped in too, standing just in front of Esme as she pressed another button, which closed the doors and started taking us up to another level. It was the most awkward elevator ride of my life, and I could only compare it to when Luke had to do the same with Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. I leaned more into Alice, hoping her scent would calm me some so I wouldn't be so anxious.

When the bell rung, we had reached our destination, and the doors opened again. Blondie ordered us to follow her again, and we did without a word, passing what looking like a secretaries dress on our way. I kept my mouth shut like Alice told me, even though there were so many things I wanted to ask, but I knew now wasn't the time. We turned a corner and saw Carlisle, Rose, and Emmett sitting, in what looked like a waiting room. They stood when me approached, and came over to engulf us all in a big hug. I was so happy to be reunited with everyone, and I felt just that much safer now.

"Aro will see you now." The blonde girl said, opening a heavy wooden door. "Wait." We all stopped. "Only you three." She pointed to Carlisle, Alice, and I.

He nodded, giving us both a look before leading us into the next room. It was huge, white, mostly made of marble so everything looked very fancy. In the back of the room, straight ahead, say three men in three different chairs, looking royal and whatnot. The one on the far left looked like he was in his late fifties or early sixties. The one in the middle, was younger, maybe late forties. And the last was the youngest, maybe mid-twenties. All had blood red eyes and blank expressions on their faces.

There were others around the room, though staying in the shadows, which bothered me. I couldn't see their faces, but I knew they were watching closely. Blondie came from behind us and joined the other by their thrones, but still standing off to the side, in case she was needed, I guessed. The door closed behind us and there were footsteps, but I didn't dare look.

Alice growled beside me, and held me closer to her as her lip curled upwards enough that I could see her teeth. Finally a figure passed me, and even from the back of his head I could tell who it was...Jasper. Anger immediately shot through my body, and I wanted nothing more than to rip his head off. But instead, I clenched my fist tightly and ground my teeth, trying to control myself from doing something very stupid.

"Why so angry, Bella?" He said before turning around to face us, chuckling as he did so.

"Shut the_ fuck_ up." I said, regretting it as soon as it came out of my mouth.

"She's a feisty little human, isn't she?" The man in the middle chair said before standing up. "Carlisle, my old friend. It's too bad we have to meet again under these circumstances." He said sadly. "And you must be Alice, the psychic, yes?"

She nodded, but said nothing in response. Then his eyes met mine, which made me stop breathing for a moment. He didn't look mean, but I was definitely scared of him.

"And who might you be?" He asked, as came and stood a few steps in from of me.

"This is my daughter, Bella." Carlisle said.

"Oh, Carlisle...a human cannot be a vampire's daughter. If anything...more like a pet." He cocked his head and looked me up and down.

"I'm sorry you see it that way, Aro."

Ignoring Carlisle's comment, Aro stepped closer to me, causing Alice to growl again, but it didn't affect him.

"Has anyone ever told you that you smell absolutely _delicious_?" He asked me.

"Once or twice." I replied sarcastically, thinking of James and Edward.

"Ha ha!" He laughed, clapping his hands together. "You are one interesting human, dear Bella. It's too bad that you known our little secret though..."

_Little secret. Try fucking huge secret!_

"She's done nothing wrong, Aro. Sure, she knows, but Bella wants to become one of us...so isn't this pointless?" Carlisle interjected.

"You...want to be one of us?" He asked me for clarification.

I nodded.

"Why? Why would you _want _to become a soulless monster?"

"Not all vampires are monsters." I said, referring to the Cullens. "And I do believe you have all have a soul."

"Hm, it's very sweet, and naïve of you to think that." He paused, rubbing his chin before continuing. "Who did tell you about us, Bella?"

I started to open my mouth to say, but then I thought about it, and I didn't want to get the Cullens into more trouble than they already are.

"Is that really important, Aro? Who cares about who told her, when you should be more worried that she just knows." Jasper intervened.

We all now saw where his loyalties lied...with Edward.

"No, I'm curious." Aro waved Jasper's statement off. "Who told you?"

My mouth went dry, and I couldn't find the words to speak.

"It's okay, Bella." Carlisle said. "My son, Edward told her about our existence."

"Is this true?" Aro asked me.

I nodded.

"Well..." He mused. "That changes things. Jane?"

"Yes, Master?" The blonde responded.

"Go fetch Edward."

_Wait, what! _

"Edward is here?" Carlisle asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Oh, yes. I thought you'd know, since he's your...son in all. He joined the Volturi Guard a few months back. His gift has been very helpful..."

We all were silent, taking in the shocking news. Jasper just looked angry now, and Aro had an unreadable expression on his face as he waited. Less than a minute went by, and a door to the left of us opened, revealing Edward, dressing in a black robe like the others, and red eyes to match. He looked surprised to see us all, but mostly Alice and I together. And judging by his expression and the way he looked at the way she was holding me, he didn't like it one bit.

"What is going on, Master?" He asked, trying to sound oblivious.

"Edward, were you the one to tell young Bella about the existence of our kind?" Aro asked bluntly.

Edward's eyes shifted from Aro's to Jasper's, to the floor, then back again.

"Your silence is not reassuring. I thought you knew the laws that keep the vampire world in order?"

"I do, Master."

"Then _clearly_ you disregarded those laws."

"But she's my mate, Master. I told her because we were dating, and she wanted to be turned eventually."

_Oh, hell no._

"If she is your mate, then why are you here with us, instead of with her?" Aro asked.

"I'm _not _his mate. And he didn't want me to turn." I said firmly. "He left me behind over six months ago."

"You just..._left_ a human...with the knowledge of our kind? This is not looking good for you, dear Edward."

"She _is _my mate. I was going to go back to her eventually." Edward replied.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Mate." I said through gritted teeth.

He shot me a dirty look before Aro put his hands up, trying to stop our argument.

"Bella is right, Edward. If she were your mate, you would not have left her."

"I left to protect her..." He tried again.

"No, you didn't." My voice rose. "You know full well why you left, and so do I. You're nothing but a liar and manipulator."

I had no idea where all my courage was coming from, but I liked it. Standing up for myself felt good. And finally talking back to Edward felt great.

"To get the truth..." Aro held out his hand. "May I?"

Edward hesitated, not really wanting to take his hand, for some reason I didn't know of yet. Giving up, Edward raised his hand and placed it in Aro's, who sandwiched it between both of his and closed his eyes. We all watched, but I'm sure I was the only one that was out of the loop with what was going on, again, like usual.

"Hm...interesting." He glanced at Alice and I. "I can tell you that you and Bella definitely aren't mates, but you already know that. Why must you keep lying to me, Edward? After all, I have been nothing but honest and kind to you. I thought you were better than to pull something so conniving...and to your own family, too? And Jasper...how could you do that, to your wife, nonetheless! We aren't finished." He warned.

Aro let Edward's hand drop, and he made his way over to me again, leaving Edward with a furious expression on his face.

"If you aren't here for Edward, darling...why are you here?" He asked.

"I...um...well...do you want the long story, or the short story?"

I just want the truth, dear. May I?" He held out his hand to me. "I can know every thought you've ever had, with one touch...it won't hurt you." He promised.

I looked to Alice to see if it was actually safe, and she nodded, pushing me forward a little, then letting me go as I stepped up to Aro. He smiled and gently took my hand in between his eagerly, taking a deep breath before closing his eyes. We stood there for a few seconds, then opened his eyes again, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Interesting." He said again. "I see nothing..."

"Um...is that bad?" I asked.

"Not _bad._..just different. It's never happened to me before." He stated. "Edward can't read your mind...and neither can I."

He stood there stoking his chin for a few moments, as if not knowing what to do now.

"I have an idea...let's see if she is immune to all our powers!"

Alice growled in response and I stepped back and let her arm wrap around my waist again.

"Jane?" He nodded to her.

She nodded back to him, and looked at me with a smirk on her face. "This may hurt a little." She warned.

_Aw, crap._

If she had to warn me, then it _must _hurt. I gritted my teeth and prepared for the worst, as she lowered her head slightly and concentrated on...whatever she was going to do. A few seconds when by and she hardened her face more, her eyebrows coming together in frustration.

"Fascinating!" Aro said loudly, breaking Jane's concentration.

"Alec, you next." He ordered, still looking at me, intrigued.

"Yes, Master." A brown-haired boy said, coming out of the shadows.

He looked no older that fifteen, and I couldn't help but be creeped out by his red eyes. I felt sorry for him...just a boy and killing humans for meals. I pushed that thought to the side and waited for...something. Like Jane, he lowered his head and looked at me with a focused expression...but again, nothing happened.

"Oh, Bella...you are one of a kind." Aro said coming closer to me again, this time, gently stroking my face with his cold hand.

"But I didn't do anything..." I said, confused.

"You don't understand. No vampire, and certainly no _human _that I have come across, has ever been able to...shield themselves from our powers. And here you are, not even trying..."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward roll his eyes, then looked down at the ground like he was bored. I just wanted to smack that look of his face.

"Well, since I can't read your thoughts..." He said, moving over to Alice. "Maybe I take a look at yours, dear Alice?"

More that willing, she took his hand, which made him smile. Edward raised his eyes from the ground, and they shot over to Jasper, worried. I smiled to myself...knowing he would probably be more disgusted with Edward and Jasper after this, now that he's going to get Alice's point of view of this whole mess. I'm hoping this will get them what they deserve. Aro closed his eyes, and stayed quiet for a few minutes leaving the rest of us waiting, the tension in the room building.

"Hm." He opened his eyes and smiled sadly at Alice. "I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you, little Alice."

Releasing her hand, he stepped back again.

"I'm fine now." She replied.

"Yes, I see that. So, does...she_ know_?" He asked with a playful smile.

_She who, and know what?_ I thought.

"No, not yet."

"Oh. Well then, I won't spoil it for you." He turned back around, facing both of the guys now. "I think I understand now..."


	11. Outcome

"It all comes back, to you two." Aro said before letting out a sigh, and shaking his head ever so slightly. "Ever wonder why I never touched you before today? Because I trusted you two from the beginning, since you were Carlisle's...adopted children. He was always loyal to me, and I figured that you would be the same when you asked to joined the Guard. I didn't want to invade your privacy because of that, but now I see that was my mistake."

I saw that Jasper was having a hard time controlling his emotions. His eyes would fill with fear, then regret, then anger, then back to fear again. I couldn't feel sorry for him though, even if he did actually regret it, it was only because he got caught. He deserved what was coming to him, and I could only feel sorry for Alice. She had loved him once, and was more than a good wife to him. Yet he still pulled something so...selfish and cruel, after all the things they had been through together.

"Edward, you have broken the law by telling little Bella here our secret. Jasper, you may not have told Bella, but you are still guilty, as is Edward, for lying about why you were here. That does not go without punishment."

"I technically didn't tell her..." He tried.

"True. From what I saw, Bella had strong suspicions, but you still validated it." Aro pointed out.

That was true. I had really had just put everything about them together, and new the truth, but he did tell me it was the truth. Though right now, all I could do was stand there, listening to what was happening. I didn't quite know what was going to happen to me, but I knew I would most likely be luckier than Edward or Jasper.

"Edward and Jasper Cullen, you are hereby sentenced to death for your actions. Not only did you break the law, but you betrayed everyone who cared for you, including myself. I'm sorry that I have to do this." His voice was filled with genuine sadness. "I can, however, have Alec take away your senses, so it will be painless, it that's what you want?"

"Aro, I must ask that you reconsider. We all left Bella, even though we didn't know the real reason at the time, we still did." Carlisle interjected.

Edward took this distraction to his benefit, and blurred out the side door of the room. One of the guards sprinted after him, and within seconds, Edward was brought back into the room in a headlock by the tall, hulky man.

"Yes, Carlisle, you did. But, for you, I'm willing to look past it. From looking into Alice and Edward's minds, I've gotten to know Bella, and I understand that she'd wouldn't tell anyone our secret. Plus, she will be turned sooner or later, correct?" She asked looking at me.

I nodded. Like my decision would have changed? Yeah right. I know what I want.

"Then why must you kill Edward and Jasper?"

"I might have been willing to look past it, if that's all Edward was guilty for. But, not only did he leave for another reason, but they both came and lied to my face about why there were here. I'm sorry old friend, but this must be done."

"May we at least say goodbye? I know my wife would like to, and so would I."

Aro let out a deep breath, then nodded. "Jane?" He asked, gesturing to the door we came through.

She blurred over to it in less than a second, and opened it, saying something I couldn't make out to the others, then stepping aside to let them in. Esme was by my side in no time, hugging me, happy that I was okay, then letting her gaze go to Edward and Jasper. Carlisle took Esme in her arms as she started to sob, and I couldn't help but release a tear of my own. Not for Edward, not for Jasper, but for Esme. She was loosing both of her longtime sons in one day, and that, I felt guilty for.

Alice turned and hugged me to her, wrapping both her arms around me, holding me tight. I leaned my head on her shoulder as I let my tears fall freely, making her shirt damp quickly. When I turned my head, I saw Edward be released by the big man, and walk with his head down over to Carlisle and Esme, who had their free arms already out to embrace him.

"I'm sorry." He choked out as he fell into their waiting arms.

I knew by the sound of his voice, that he was truly sorry when he said it to them. In the time I spent with Edward, he wanted nothing more than to make Carlisle and Esme proud parents, and he let his bad judgment and jealousy control him. This was crushing him, and his adoptive parents, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. Yes, Edward was cruel for helping make the other leave, but I didn't think he had to die for it.

I looked over and saw Jasper standing still, hands crossed in front of him, and looking down at the floor. He looked like a soldier waiting to be executed, and in a way, that's exactly what he was. Just a few seconds later, Esme turned and beckoned him to join them, and he did, slowing walking over to them, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. They all had a group hug, Esme and Carlisle whispering softly to both of them, for a few minutes. The rest of us not really knowing what to do with ourselves.

I kept my head in Alice's neck this time as she rubbed my back for try and comfort me. Aro cleared his throat, and we all knew it was time to let them go. Esme squeezed them both one last time before she managed to tear herself away from them, and be escorted back into the other room by Carlisle, Rose and Emmett. After the door closed, Edward turned to us, and I could see venom, looking like it was about to spill over the brim of his eyes.

"I'm sorry. To both of you." His voice was low, and filled with sadness. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I just hope one day you can forgive me for my actions."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, so I nodded, hoping that would suffice. He smiled a little bit, then turned back to Aro. Jasper, on the other hand, said nothing to either of us, not even acknowledging our presence, before they were both escorted by the big vampire, Alec, and the blonde, and out the door that Edward tried to escape out of, and out of our sight...for forever.

Leaving Aro, Jane, the other two in their chairs, and a few still standing around the perimeter of the room, and with and I. Wiping the tears from my face, I straightened back up and pulled myself together, for the time being. Now I had to await my own fate. I had no idea what to expect with Aro, and frankly, I was scared at what he was going to say.

"Now, as for you two..."

My heart rate sped up at the sound of his voice.

"You are free to go, but I will be checking in every so often. And Bella, when you have been changed and have some time, I would like you to come back and see me. You have a gift, and I would like to learn more about it, if you'll let me?"

I do anything, I'm just happy that he's letting us go alive.

I nodded, and he gave a small smile.

"I hope you don't see me as a bad guy, Bella. We just have laws that must not be broken, or else the world as you know it, would be entirely different."

"I understand." I said quietly, even though I didn't exactly.

Why could they just imprison the vampires for hundreds of years or something, instead of death as the answer for everything?

"You can go now. Alice, thank you for letting me inside your head. And Bella, I'll see you again soon, yes?"

"Yeah." My voice was raspy now, tears in my eyes threatening to fall again.

"Jane, be a good girl and escort everyone out."

"Yes, Master."

/-/

After leaving Volterra, we headed back to the hotel Rose, Emmett, and I had stayed at, and the other got separate rooms on different levels, so we all could have some privacy. Alice and I shared a room on the top level, while Rose and Emmett were somewhere in the middle, and Carlisle and Esme, on the first floor.

I didn't really know what to do with myself, so I kept as busy as I could, taking a long shower, blow drying my hair, changing clothes, until I didn't have anything left. When I exited the bathroom, Alice was standing at the window, looking out onto the city of Florence, her posture stiff as she leaned against the wall. I didn't want to disturb her, so I took the bed closest to the door, leaving her to think while I laid on the bed, facing away from her, getting lost in my thoughts.

It wasn't long before I felt the covers behind me dip down, and a cold arm wrap around my waist, pulling me close. I relaxed into her body, letting her scent wash over me as I enjoyed the feeling of her cold breath on the back of my neck. I didn't quite know what to say, or even if I should say anything at all. We both lost someone today, because of me, and I didn't want to upset her. She's already been through so much.

"What are you thinking?" She finally asked.

What _wasn't _I think about?

"Everything." I answered. "I just...I feel guilty."

"What happened wasn't your fault." She said sternly.

"Doesn't feel that way. I mean, after I found out the truth, all I wanted was for them to be punished...I didn't know how, or even if I cared, I just wanted them to suffer the way they made us. But when Esme came in and had to say goodbye..." My tears started to fall again, making little sounds as they hit the pillow. "I can't help but feel guilty. Esme lost two of her sons..."

I sniffled before I broke out into sobs, and Alice hugged me tighter as I buried my face into the pillow. Every once in a while she would start rocking me, trying to soothe me while whispering sweet things in my ear, and even kissing my temple now and then. Even though I was emotionally exhausted, I couldn't go to sleep. Too many things we still going through me head to even think about that, not to mention I had a horrible headache.

Alice noticed when I winced and closed my eyes tight, trying to ignore the pain.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"My head is pounding..."

Unfortunately, that always happens after I cry, no matter how much or how little, I was rewarded with a throbbing in my head.

"Did you bring any medicine with you, honey?"

"No..."

I never thought I would need it. But, before I knew it, she was up and on the phone, asking for, what I assumed room service, in a perfect Italian accent. I still find it impressive that all of them know so many languages. I wondered it I would learn some after I changed as well. Other than the required Spanish class I took in seventh grade, I hadn't taken it any further, even though I should have. It's always good to know another language.

"It'll take just a few minutes." She announced when she hung up the phone.

I nodded as I turned onto my back, my right side somewhat numb from the position we had been in the last hour or so, and looked at Alice, who was looking at me. Her eyes were soft and warm, but also with a hint of worry, as she reached out and pushed my hair back, away from my face, and tucking it behind my ear. For that moment, I forgot about my headache, forgot about what happened today, all I was focus on, was her.

I don't know how she did it, or maybe it was just my love for her, that made looking into her eyes so...therapeutic. I could stare at those gold orbs of hers for the rest of my life and forget the world around me. She gave me a small smile after a few moments, then caressed my cheek with the back of her hand before wiping what was left of my tears away with her thumb, before there was a knock at the door.

It brought me out of my trance-like state, and I sat up, the pounding in my head getting louder as I did. She thanked the person and came back over to me, holding a small cup with two pills in it, and another empty one in her hand that she filled up once I took the pills. They went down easily, and I was eager to be rid of this headache.

I fell back against the cool sheets after I downed the rest of the water. Alice, pulled down the covers, easily lifting me up and tucking me before sitting on the edge again. I turned to face her, pulling back the sheets, silently asking her to lay next to me, which she obliged. Once she got in and got comfortable, I put my arm around her, needing to be close. Doing the same, she hugged me into her as I nuzzled her neck, enjoying the cold body that I had missed so much.

It wasn't long before I started to doze off, much to my surprise. The last thing I remember was her cold lips kissing me on my heated forehead.

**A/N: Thanks to azrael8919.**


	12. Homecoming

***ONE WEEK LATER***

"I'm going to be in so much trouble..." I said, thinking out loud.

I left home just over a month ago, and I haven't contacted Charlie since, not knowing if it was a good idea or not, so I didn't. And now, here I was, sitting in Alice's car, just down the street from my house, thinking about what to tell him.

"You're the psychic, what will happen if I go in there and tell him a lie?" I asked, looking over to Alice, her pupils dilating for a minute, before blinking and looking at me.

"Not too good. He won't stop pressing for answers until he gets one that's good enough for him."

"Great." I took a breath before continuing. "And what will happen if I tell him the truth?" I asked, deciding in my head that I was going to tell him so that Alice could see that option.

She was out of it for a few minutes this time before she came back to the present.

"Much better. He's shocked...but not as shocked as I would have imagined." She furrowed her brows. "Things went black from there, and I didn't see what happened after that."

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

"Are you absolutely sure that you want to tell him, Bella? It's against the law, and I don't want anything happening to you...ever."

"Trust me...Charlie isn't like most people."

She bit her marble lip and thought about it for a few moments, them looked at me again and nodded. I gave her a small smile and gestured to the house. She started the car up again, and pulled down the street and into the driveway quietly. I took a deep breath before exiting the car and heading up to the door, Alice right behind me. I unlocked it and went it, hearing the police scanner in the living room on, and a sound of rustling papers. Alice closed the door behind us, a little louder than needed, but it got a response.

"Bella?" Charlie yelled.

I took the few steps and peeked in the living room, where Charlie was, anxiously sitting in his desk chair.

"Hey, Dad." I said with relief as I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck and squeezing him tight.

I had missed him so much, and it felt so good to finally be back home. We stood there for a few minutes, me enjoying his familiar smell, and him stroking my hair, when I noticed he stiffened and straightened up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded through his teeth.

I looked at him to see what he was looking at, and I saw Alice standing in the doorway of the room.

"Dad, don't yell, it's okay." I said stepping back, trying to calm him down.

"No it's not okay, Bella! Alice, what are you doing here?"

"Dad, lower your voice and let us explain. Please..."

It took another few minutes to get him calm enough to sit down with us, ordering me to explain where I've been and why Alice was here with me.

"This is going to be a bit of a long story, Dad. And it's going to sound crazy, but I swear on grandma's grave, it's the absolute truth." I explained. "Now I know you'll have questions during my story, but I need you to wait until the end, because I need to get through all of this. Okay?"

He nodded, just wanting answers.

"Well, to explain why I left, I need to go back to the very beginning...when I first moved here and met the Cullens..."

And so my story began, telling him about all the weird things I noticed, and how I finally came to the conclusion that they were vampires. I went on to tell him and James, and why why the Cullens left, leaving out the part that I was in love with Alice, of course. Throughout this whole thing, he just sat there, staring at me, listening intently as I talked, while doing my best to explain everything that happened. Finally, when it seemed like it had been forever, I got to the end of the, what I could call, my odyssey.

"And that bring us...here, talking to you...telling the completely crazy, truthful story of why I left."

And then there was complete silence. Alice and I waiting for an answer while Charlie stayed quiet, with a shocked look on his face. When he finally looked away, he rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well, I need a drink." He said, casually getting up and getting some Whiskey out of his barely touched liquor cabinet.

I was about to give Alice a look when her phone chimed. She took it out of her pocket quickly and read the text she was sent.

"That's just great..." She muttered.

"What is it?"

She didn't have time to answer before there was a loud pounding at the front door, that made Charlie and I jump. He quickly sat his drink down and ran over to answer it, the next thing I knew, Jacob barged in the living room with an angry look on his face.

"Bella!" He yelled before stepping toward me.

Alice snarled at him and got in front of me in a defensive position. Jacob was taken back, but only for a second, before he got angrier, his body starting to shake.

"Jake, stop!" I yelled, getting up off the couch, but staying behind Alice.

"Jacob!" Charlie chimed in, putting a firm hand on his his shoulder. "Not in my house, I won't have you destroying anything."

"But Charlie, she's a Cullen! She hurt Bella by leaving, and then kidnapped her!"

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Jake." I said through my teeth.

"She's right. Sit, calm the hell down, and listen to what they have to say." He said, surprising us all. "I know you two don't get along, but you're in my house, and no one will be attacking anyone."

That's the second time in thirty seconds he's referred to that sort of thing...and I wondered if he possibly knew something.

"Dad...do you know about Jake?" I asked, being vague in case he didn't.

"Yes, he does." Jacob asked.

"Excuse me, I was talking to my dad." I shot back at him, then looked at Charlie again. "How?"

He sighed, pushing Jake down into a chair before he sat down on the other end of the sofa that Alice and I were sitting on.

"When you disappeared, Jacob automatically knew it was the Cullens. He smelled them, or something. Anyway, he said he was getting involved, and that he'd find you and get you back, but I said he didn't know what he was talking about, and that I didn't want him involved like that in the investigation. Well, he phased in front of me to prove that they could help in a way I hadn't understood. Damn near gave me a heart attack..."

"Sorry, you just had to know..." Jake commented.

"And now I know about the Cullens-"

"Yeah, they're a bunch of damn leeches, who have Bella brainwashed!" He interrupted.

"Jacob! I won't tell you again, this is my house, and you will respect the people in it. I don't see Alice calling you names and accusing you of things."

"Because I haven't done anything other than try to protect Bella!"

"Once you hear the whole truth, you may change your mind."

"Doubt it. I want to speak to you." He looked at me. "Alone."

Alice let out a low rumble from her chest, and I put my hand on hers to let her know that it's okay.

"I'll talk to you in my room, where we can have some privacy, and I'll explain everything." I said.

"Are you kidding me? There is no privacy when it comes to the Cullens, she'll still be able to hear us from down here." He said giving her a nasty look. "Leave and let me talk with Bella."

"Jake, she's my friend, in my house. You _will_ be nice to her, or else you'll be the one leaving. I said sternly.

He rolled his eyes as I sighed and turned to Alice, who was still looking at Jake with an annoyed expression.

"I'll be okay."

She thought about it for a minute, then squeezing my hand before standing up.

"You're going to come back though, right?" I asked scared.

"Of course. As soon as you put the dog out."

I smiled to myself as she politely excused herself and left out the front door. Without a word, I got up and headed to the stairs to go up to my room, Jacob, following silently behind me. Closing the door behind us, I sat down on my bed and waited for him to join me, but he just stood there with his arms crossed.

"It's not what you think." I stated.

"Oh, really? They left you, Bella!"

"Do you even know why? Huh?" I tried to keep calm as he didn't answer. "Exactly."

"Why does it matter? They still did it."

"If you aren't even willing to listen, then just leave now." I threatened.

Shifting his eyes to the ground, he thought about it for a minute, then let his hands drop to his sides and sat down in my rocking chair in the corner.

"While I tell you what happened, you will not interrupt, or else I'll stop. And you won't say anything derogatory about the Cullens, or else I'll kick you out without another word. You got it?"

"Sure, sure." He said in a monotone voice.

"Well, get comfortable...it's kinda of a long story."

Once again, I went through everything I had experienced since I had met the Cullens, and I knew Jake was fighting with himself to stay quiet. Especially after I told him that I had fallen for Alice. His face fell slightly and his eyes glazed over, but I didn't let that stop me. I told him the full story, because even though he was acting like a jerk, he was still my best friend, and I needed to tell someone else about my feelings, because I didn't feel comfortable talking to Charlie about it yet. When I finished, I took a deep breath and waited for a response, but I just got an angry face for a few minutes before he straightened up and looked at me.

"I knew Edward was a bastard..." He said, shaking his head.

"Just because Edward and Jasper did those things, doesn't mean that all the Cullens are bad. Rose and Emmett came back to save me, Carlisle and Esme have always treated me like a daughter, and Alice...well, she's always been such a good friend to me. The two vampires that attacked your tribe all those years ago, weren't the Cullens, but you let that rule how you feel about all vampires that are out there. You've had the treaty with them for decades, and have they ever done anything to break it?"

"I...uhm...no."

"Then please just trust me...and them."

"I just don't see why you want to become one of them, they aren't even alive!"

"Just because their hearts don't beat, doesn't mean they don't have them at all. When you boil it down, they are just people, like you and me. I never once judged you when I found out that you could change into a wolf."

He seemed taken back by that statement, but it was true. I was nothing short of supportive when I found out about him.

"You still didn't say why you wanted to be one. You haven't even told that lee-Alice, how you feel. And who says she even feels the same?"

He was right, and partly what I feared all along. I had no idea how Alice felt, and I was afraid to, because I didn't want to be rejected by her.

"Even if she doesn't feel the same, I still want to be one of them, because I feel like I belong when I'm with them. I love Charlie and Renee, but I feel more at home with the Cullens for some reason."

He rubbed the back of his head as he took in what I was saying.

"So, when are you going to tell her? How long do I have with you before...?"

"Her longtime husband and brother were killed a week ago...I don't think now is the best time to bring it up anything. And it's not like we have to say goodbye once I turn. I'll still be the same person, Jake. But, I'm hoping after graduation."

/-/

After a two hour conversation with Jacob, he seemed to understand a little more of where I was coming from, but I wasn't quite sure. Only time would tell, and right now, I was more worried about Charlie, and sorting out my feelings for Alice. I lead Jake back downstairs and lingered at the door.

"I guess I'll talk to you soon." He said before running off down the street and into the woods.

I let out a long breath of relief, glad that the talk had gone over pretty well, and headed back upstairs, pulling my phone out to text Alice to come back.

"Don't bother." I jumped out of my hyde as I stepped into my room, Alice already lying on my bed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Sorry that took so long with Jake."

"It's okay." I closed my door and joined her on the bed. "He'll come around eventually, Bells."

"I hope so. I want my best friends to get along with each other."

She smiled, then took my hand in hers, causing my heart to flutter, which I hope she wouldn't notice.

"Can I ask you something?"

She looked at me then, with her bright, gold eyes. "Of course, what is it?"

"Y-you don't have to answer, but it's just something I've been wondering..."

"Bella, you can ask me anything, and I'll always give you an honest answer."

"Okay, um. Is there a reason you didn't say anything to Edward or Jasper, before..." I couldn't even finish.

"I said goodbye to Edward privately, in my thoughts. But, I didn't really know what to say to Jasper...so I didn't say anything."  
>I nodded, I had the same problem. At the time I wanted to say something to Edward, but no words came out, so I just accepted his apology with a nod.<p>

"Do you think you could ever forgive them?" I asked.

"With time."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: If any of you are Harry Potter or Glee fans, I wrote a Fabranger (Quinn/Hermione) one-shot called Quinn's Redemption. It's my first non-Bellice work, so go check it out and let me know what you think.**


	13. Confessions

**A/N: Sorry for the major wait, I wanted to finish one of my other stories before I continued this and be focused on it more. But I'm back, so enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Alice and I talked more about more about the future and less about the past as the night went on, both wanting to take the first step in moving past from the events that had taken place over the last few months. I hadn't realized that I had dozed off until I felt Alice pull the blanket out from under me and covered me with it, and I turned over to face her.<p>

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." She whispered, as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you leaving?" I asked, coming out of my sleepy daze.

"No. I was just going to go fix you some food."

I nodded, calming down instantly. I relaxed back into my pillow, then realizing that there was a good amount of light coming through the window. "What time is it?"

"About four in the afternoon."

_Ugh, I hate the time change._

"You should rest though, you haven't got much sleep recently."

I didn't really feel hungry at the moment, so I pulled the covers back and pointed to the spot next to me, so she'd get in bed with me again.

She smiled and took her shoes off, sliding under the covers with me, my skin getting goosebumps from her cool skin.

"I love you, you know." She whispered after a few minutes.

I didn't really know how she meant it. Whether it was an '_I'm in love with you'_ I love you, or an _'you're like a sister to me'_ I love you. Either way, I was happy to hear it.

"I love you, too."

"When I got the vision of you telling Rose about the images I sent you in your dreams, I knew it was just a matter of time that she'd figure out we were in Italy."

_So she was the one behind that..._

She nodded with a smile.

"How?"

"I've tried for decades with Jasper, or anyone, to expand my power. To get others to see what I see...but it never worked."

"Then why did it work with me?" I asked.

"Carlisle once told me there's a theory that mates share a special connection that they don't share with anyone else..."

I didn't know if I heard wrong or imagined it, but I could have sworn she was implying that I was her mate.

"Once I saw that you all were coming to look for me, I tried it with you. It takes a lot of energy, so I didn't know if it was working or not, until I saw you telling Rose."

I didn't know what to say. Was she really saying that we were mates? Did this mean that she returned my feelings? I had to know, I had to tell her how I've felt for so long.

"Alice..."

I paused for a few seconds, getting the courage to reveal my biggest secret. I was just about to blurt it out when her cold hand cupped my cheek gently, forcing me to look her in the eyes just before she leaned in slowly. Her lips covered mine, firmly moving against them. After the initial surprise, I closed my eyes and kissed her back. It was nothing like kissing Edward, but the complete opposite actually. He held back, but it was still a little rough and hard, and I didn't get much enjoyment from it. With Alice, her lips were so soft, like velvet, and I never wanted to stop kissing her.

When she pulled back slightly, I parted my lips and leaned in capturing hers this time. I felt her smile when I let my hand slide into her hair and tug on her short locks, as she wrapped her delicate arms around my waist, pulling me closer. She tasted as good as she smelled, sweet, but not too sweet. I felt like Goldilocks when she found the bed that was just right. Alice was the perfect amount of everything for me. When we finally broke apart, it was due to my lack of oxygen, and she rested her forehead on mine and waited for me to catch my breath.

"I've wanted to do that since the first vision I had of you." She said, taking my hand from her hair, entwining our fingers. "I never actually thought I'd get to."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked after a few moments. "I know you didn't want to hurt Jasper, but you deserve to be happy too..."

"I know...but I wasn't supposed to want someone else. I mean, I married Jasper because I thought that we were soul mates, but that all changed when you came along in one of my visions, which Edward happened to see, and he was adamant about going after you from that point. He was too consumed with you that he didn't notice my thoughts...and with practice, I learned to shield myself from him, which he wasn't too happy about. He complained all the time that he couldn't turn his gift off, yet he was angered by the fact that he couldn't get in my head anymore."

"Unfortunately, it was very hard to shield my emotions from Jasper. It wasn't long after you got here that he realized what you made me feel. Even though I hid it the best I could, he knew, but I still tried to fight it. I thought that's why he never said anything, because he could feel my turmoil. But right before James attacked, Edward warned me to stay away from you, because you were his, and I already had Jasper. He was the only one who hadn't had a mate, and he wanted you so badly."

"Though after James' attack, I felt like I had to take care of you...mate instinct. Edward and Jasper were furious, and finally they had had enough, so that's why they came up with the plan to leave. I didn't want to leave you, of course, and I ending up telling them how I felt about you, even though they already knew, I thought if I actually said told them my side of things, they would understand. Especially Jasper, thinking he would be a gentleman and let me go, because it was the right thing."

"But I was wrong, and he used his gift on me, as you know, convincing me to go with him. Edward...he was mad about having to leave, but he'd rather be alone, thinking you were still his, then the possibility of me taking him from you. Of course I felt extremely guilty about making them so upset, but I couldn't help the way I felt...feel. I've never experienced such amounts of joy, just by spending time with you, Bella."

By this time, I had gone through a roller coaster of emotions. I was mad at Edward and Jasper all over again. Mad at Edward because he thought I was his, even though it was his decision to leave. Mad at Jasper for hurting and manipulating someone that he supposedly loved. Then I was sad that Alice felt guilty about upsetting them, when she really only did what anyone else would. And finally, I felt so loved. More loved then I had ever felt before.

Alice had a way with making me feel special, like no one else could, without really even trying. She didn't even need words...i just knew it by the way she looked at me, her big golden eyes melting my heart, making me feel all warm inside. I wanted to make her feel the same way, though I wasn't the best at speaking, so I used my mouth for something that I was much better at. I leaned over and kissed her, trying to put all of my emotions into it.

By the way she kissed me back, I knew she was getting what I was trying to say, and she was reciprocating with an equal amount of passion. My fingers threaded through her short hair easily, at the same time holding her in place, not wanting the kiss to end.

We must have been kissing a while, because eventually my stomach started making noises, alerting me that I had gotten hungry, and it wasn't going to shut up until I ate. Irritated, I pulled away from Alice, and we headed down to the kitchen.

It was just after five o'clock now, and Charlie would be returning home soon, so we started to get dinner ready. Nothing special, just spaghetti for tonight...especially since I was having a hard enough time focusing on getting this done, with Alice constantly touching me, or kissing me. When I finally got everything in the pots cooking, I gave in and pinned her against the cupboard. Well, more like she let me pin her, but still, she was letting me have the power...and that was something I wasn't used to.

Getting more brave, I moved down to her neck, where she moved it to she side to give me more room. I let my hands wander to her hips, gripping at her shirt. When she stiffened against me, I thought that I had gone too far, so I pulled back, but I was met with a blank stare. She hadn't had a vision since Volterra, at least to my knowledge she hadn't, and not only that, but this one was taking her extra long to come out of. I waited patient until she blinked a few times, coming back to the present.

"Alice, what did you see?"

She looked at me with worried eyes. "Jasper..."

"Wait, what?" This couldn't be. "How?" I managed to get out in my confused state.

"How do you think? He must have used his power to manipulate. I just don't know why I haven't seen this before, we left a week ago!"

"Well, where is he?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"Still in Europe, I _think_, but he keeps changing his mind as to where he's going to go."

"How the hell has he avoided The Volturi this long? Aren't they made up of the best trackers or something like that?"

"Demetri is their best tracker, yes, but Jasper knows how to elude them, and if he comes in contact with another vampire, he'd just use his gift to make them forget that they saw him."

"That's just _great_..." I said, rubbing my temples with my fingers.

"I have to go home and tell the others, you stay here, your father will be home in a few minutes."

"But-"

"I'll be back in a little bit, don't worry."

And with that, she disappeared from my sight, and I was left alone in the kitchen, then only noise coming from the boiling noodles and cooking sauce. Don't worry? How the fuck could I not? The selfish, manipulative, vampire that hates my guts is on the loose, and she doesn't want me to worry? He had escaped The most powerful group of vampires on the planet, and I know that he won't be satisfied until he gets to Alice or myself, and gets revenge...that's just who he has become.

Sure, Alice had her visions, but now that we know that she had missed his great escape, who knows what else she could miss. And now, we really couldn't afford to miss anything while the psycho is on the lamb, eliding the best of the best, plotting to kill us. The front door opening took me out of my thoughts, and I heard Charlie's voice announce that he was home as he took off his jacket. Making myself look busy, I turned around and stirred the noodles, then the sauce,

"Hey, Bells." He said, sauntering into the kitchen. "Smells good."

"It will be ready soon, you should go ahead and wash up."

"You got it."

I didn't know whether I should tell him about Jasper or not. Maybe I was jumping the gun with the whole panicking thing; The Volturi were after him, and who says that he wouldn't be caught by them before he got to the U.S. I needed to have more faith in them and in Alice with her visions. Now that she will be looking out for him instead of letting the visions naturally come to her, we would be better off than not even knowing at all.

And why didn't The Volturi give any of us the heads up? If they didn't catch him within a day or so, I would have figured that normal people would warn the ones who are in the most danger, but then I remember that the vampire royalty aren't exactly normal people...so should I really be surprised? Spooning the noodles onto Charlie's plate, I heard him making his way back down the stairs, and he was in the kitchen and sat down by the time I poured sauce on them, and sat the plate in the table in front of him.

"How was your day?" He asked after I got my own plate ready and sat down across from him.

"Okay. Caught up on sleep. I'll be ready to go back to school tomorrow."

_I sure needed the distraction._

"You sure? You just got back...I know your wiped out."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I need to catch back up it you want me to graduate on time."

He nodded, twirling his fork in the pile of spaghetti. "Where's Alice?"

"Went home to take care of something...she should be back soon."

Maybe then she would have some answers for me, and that's the only thing that will keep me sane. I need to know what's going on, or it _will_ drive me crazy. Edward left me in the dark all the time, and I couldn't take it. I know Alice is different than him, but I also know she would do anything to protect me...and that is what worried me the most.


	14. Revenge

**A/N: So sorry for _extremely long_ wait. I know last chapter I said I was back, but then I was hit with yet another spell of writers block, this one worse than the last. It literally took me these last eight months just to get this much written. Also, I don't have a Beta anymore, so excuse all mistakes you may find.**

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><p>A week later, the Cullens still haven't heard anything from The Volturi about Jasper's escape, and Alice hasn't left my side longer since he disappeared from her visions completely. Last thing she saw him do was enter a unfamiliar house, and then everything went black. That was three days ago, and it has gotten everyone paranoid and on the look out twenty-four seven, the Cullens constantly running patrols around the property, and the werewolves doing the same in La Push.<p>

Everyone was exhausted, the vampires needing to hunt badly, and the werewolves needing to rest. Charlie still didn't know what was going on, so we kept it from him, that way he wouldn't be worried sick. With school, came reprieve, for me at least. I knew Jasper wouldn't pick there to come after me, so I relaxed as much as I could while doing my best at catching up on all the work I had missed. Alice was always on guard though, looking out for me every second we were together, and in her visions when we were apart.

All their eyes were black as coal, and I knew it was getting uncomfortable to be around me and my scent so much now that they were starving. It took every one of the Cullens and myself to convince Alice to go hunting with them, while the wolves protected me. Even then, they had to pry her away. Tonight was actually the perfect night to go hunting; Charlie was gone, helping out the town over's department with a missing person's case, so he wouldn't suspect anything with Jake and the others being around.

This also gave me the chance to start rebuilding my friendship with Jake, now that he knows the truth about everything. It was awkward when he first got here, but once we found something to do, it was like nothing had changed between us. He joked around with me, and told stories from when he first became a shifter and how weird some things were that he had to get used to, like the wolf telepathy. It would really suck having everyone hear my every thought...

"Okay, you've beat me at Scrabble ten times, four in Sorry!, and six in Uno...let's do something else." Jake complained as he poured the letter pieces into the box.

"I'm tired of beating your ass anyway. Is there a game you _can _win at?" I teased, trying to rile him up.

"Shut your face."

"Hm, sorry, I've never heard of that game before."

He shot me a glare before gently pushing my shoulder, and stacking the games back where we got them from. "Actually," He said, looking at his watch. "I should probably go out and walk around for a little bit, check things out and check in with the others. You gonna be okay by yourself, or should I send in Leah to keep you company?"

I froze. "Uh, I'm good by myself..."

I didn't need someone that hates me to have to come in and babysit me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a hundred times over from Leah. I was actually really surprised that she even agreed to come over here and stand watch outside. Of course maybe she did refuse and Sam just used his Alpha power on her and made her come. If so, just another reason to just stay by myself for a while. She was most likely pissed about now and I really didn't want her to hate me anymore than she already does.

"Alright. If you need us, just holler out your window and me, Embry or Leah will hear you even though we aren't in our wolf forms."

"Okay." I nodded, waving him off as he left through the front door.

It bothered me that none of them had shifted, but Jacob wasn't all that worried, not believing that Jasper would risk coming back here just to finish me off. I was starting to agree with him. Sure, at first I was just as paranoid as Alice, but the more I thought about it, if I were Jasper and I had escaped from the most powerful vampires in the world, I wouldn't go right to the place where they were expecting me to show up. It would be suicide what with a small army of vampires and wolves looking out for me.

Locking the front door behind Jake, I put away all the games we had gotten out over the last few hours, then headed upstairs to my room and plopped down on my bed. I'm immediately bored now that he was gone, and it was only nine o'clock at night. After a few minutes of twiddling my thumbs and listening to the deafening silence that surrounded me, I kicked off my shoes and changed into an tank top and pajama bottoms, getting ready for bed for something to do.

Turning on my CD player, the sound of soft, classical music wafted through my room as I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I fixed my messy hair up into an pony tail before I climbed in bed, letting the music wash over me as I closed my eyes. I missed Alice, and she had only been away for a few hours...but I was already used to her being around me pretty much every second of every day. Surprisingly, Charlie had been fine with letting Alice stay over every night.

When we had gone back to school, she had her schedule made to match mine, so we didn't have to be without the other. Some thought this was ridiculous, but we didn't care. We are in love and it pains both of us to be separated again, even for a class period. It wasn't like we were going to pay much attention anyway, might as well have Alice with me the whole time. The kids at school whispered about Alice being back, and how we were together now, but we didn't care about anything they said.

Angela and Eric were fully supportive. I could see Mike was jealous, and Jessica was a bit surprised about the whole thing. When they asked about why Alice was back and not the others, she gave some made up story about how she wanted to finish high school here because she hadn't liked where they had moved to, and her parents had only agreed because they had some family friends nearby to help keep and eye on her if she needed anything. And everyone believed it.

However, little did they know that the whole family _was_ back, save for Edward and Jasper, of course. It had only been a few weeks since they were in Italy, and I still felt so guilty when I thought about it. If it wasn't for me, they would still be alive, and Esme wouldn't be moping around the house like she has been since they got back. I couldn't stand being over at the Cullen house now because I felt it would upset Esme, being the cause of Edward's death and soon to be Jasper's when they caught him.

If Emmett and Rose wanted to see me, they'd come over to my house instead. I felt so safe with the three of them around, and now they were all gone hunting. Jake made me feel safe too, though less now since he's not actually in the room to constantly reassure me. Things were still strained between us, but it was getting better. Eventually he would imprint on someone, and he would forget about his feelings for me. Then we would be free to be best friends like it used to be.

I could tell that Jake couldn't wait for that day to arrive. And I just wanted him to be happy. But right now he was preoccupied. I'm lucky that the tribe still considers me a friend, so I was able to have the boys and Leah looking out for me. Even though I knew they were out there, I knew I wasn't going to get much rest. Once you've slept while being held by the love of your life, you don't want to go back to sleeping alone. It just feels empty. That a part of you is missing.

The comfort of laying in her arms would be absent tonight, but I looked forward to seeing her when she got back more than anything. They estimated their arrival back would be in the early afternoon, just in time to meet me in the cafeteria for lunch. Smiling to myself, I curled up in my blanket and my body relax, my thoughts drifting to various things for what seemed like forever, until blackness overtook me. Though I wasn't asleep for long.

I woke with a jolt from a sound outside, my heart beating fast as I slowly sat up in bed. There was a loud growl, a rustle of something, maybe leaves, and then a small whimper. Worried that Jake had hurt himself, I made my way over to the window and looked out, seeing his wolf form lying by itself in the back yard. A wave of adrenaline rushed through me, and before I knew it, I was halfway down the stairs, running at full speed to get to him.

After fumbling with the lock, I grabbed the knob and yanked the door open. Padding barefoot down the back steps and out into the damp green grass of the backyard, I made my way over to Jake, who had now shifted back into human form, but was still unconscious. Reaching out and touching his burning hot skin, I shook his shoulder, trying to rouse him, but he made no indication that he'd be waking up anytime soon. I even went as far as lightly smacking his cheek, and still, nothing.

"Oh, Bella." A voice said from behind me, making me jump in surprise. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Oh, wait...yes, I did." The man laughed.

"Jasper..." I whispered as he came out of the shadow of the tree.

"The one and only, Darlin'." He smiled, his white teeth shining in the moonlight.

"What did you do to Jake?"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. Him and his two wolf buddies are just knocked out for the moment. I didn't come to harm them...I came for _you_."

"Obviously."

"You had to know I was coming eventually."

I nodded. "Yes, I did. But I didn't think you'd come so soon."

"With the Volturi hot on my trail, of course I had to come and deal with you before they catch up to me. And my own family made that possible. They leave you with the incompetent wolves, hah!"

"Jasper, I understand that you don't like me, but-"

"But nothing, Bella! You ruined my life. You stole the woman I love away from me. She was my everything. And now you will pay."

Before I knew it, he was a blur, then then was a hand around my throat, lifting me off the ground. Looking down at his face, his red eyes seemed like they were glowing with rage as I gasped for air that wouldn't come. Feeling like I was seconds away from passing out, he released me by throwing my body across the backyard like a rag doll. I landed on the hard ground with a thud. Of course, he wanted to make me suffer before he killed me.

"Want a turn?" Jasper asked, looking towards the treeline.

"Hell yeah." A deeper voice responded, before coming into the backyard.

He was an older, tan man with short, black hair and gray temples. Shirtless, I could see that his body was covered in tattoos, but noticed one familiar one on his left shoulder. It was the same one that Jake and the La Push wolves. Frowning, I tried to get a better look at his face as he sauntered over to where I was laying. He didn't look at all familiar, and I had met pretty much everyone on the Reservation at some point or another. Then it hit me.

Alice's vision on Jasper walking into an unknown house, then disappearing from her visions. He was a shifter, just not one of ours. Whoever he was, he's still Jasper's partner in crime, hiding him from Alice, and in turn, hiding him, temporarily, from The Volturi. Before I could think any further, a warm hand yanked me up from the ground, only to be thrown again, though not as far. He probably wanted whoever this was to beat me up because if Jasper did it himself, I'd die faster since he was stronger.

I guess watching was just as good as dealing it out, though I'd prefer Jasper just do it. I'm going to die no matter what, that should be enough. It's not like I intentionally hurt him. In fact, I did everything I could not to. I tried to kill myself for Christ sakes. However, with this large man bearing down on me and Jasper watching from close by. I accepted my fate. Tonight, I would die. Not the way I had previously planned, and not the way I particularly wanted to.

Only one thing I allowed myself to think about as I was tossed, hit, and kicked. Alice. If I had died that day I jumped off the cliff, I wouldn't have known the happiness that Alice has brought me. Yes, my journey has taken surprising twists and turns, around the world and back home, for one girl. My girl, my love. She was worth it. And I'd do it all over again, though maybe in a different way. If I had told Alice while her and the Cullens were still here, would things have gone differently?

I landed on the ground again, not even remembering being picked up or thrown, too involved in my thoughts. I was half in a bush, half out when I rolled on my back, my whole body screaming in pain. If this abuse kept up, I wouldn't last much longer. My vision started to blur in and out, and at times there were two shifters, then they'd merge back into one. Maybe I had brain damage already. Even though I was so distracted about my current condition, I didn't miss it when Jasper finally spoke again.

"Alright, Joseph, that's enough. Time for the finale." The blonde man said through his teeth.

The shifter back away from me and went to stand where Jasper had been. The vampire made his way over to me and kneeled at my side, reaching up and brushing a few strands of hair from my face, his cold fingers grazing my skin.

"Jasp-ugh!"

Jasper and I turned our heads just in time to see Alice snap the shifter's neck, letting his lifeless body crumble to the ground. Instantly, she faced us, crouching in a defensive position, baring her teeth.

"Get. Away. From. Her." She growled.

Jasper scoffed, really pressing his luck. But what happened next changed everything. Suddenly there was a pain in my wrist, and when my brain caught up, the burning began...and I knew what it was then. He had bitten me.

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><p><strong>AN: Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up fairly soon. Definitely not another eight month wait. I'm sorry again, that was just ridiculous. Writer's block sucks for everyone.**

**A/N 2: For those of you who like happen to like Glee, I've been writing quite a bit of Faberry recently, and even one Kum/Hevans one-shot. So if you like those couples, check out my other stories on my profile.**


	15. Fire

**A/N: I wrote this at like, 3am, so if none of it makes sense or it's particularly crappy, that's why. Also, this story is still unbeta-ed, and I'm sure I misspelled a few things here and there. Just ignore them.**

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><p>I knew this feeling all too well. My memories of writhing on the ballet studio floor as Edward fought James came rushing through my mind. He had barely held his own before Alice, Emmett, Carlisle and Jasper had gotten there to help. Now it was Alice against Jasper. They used to be married, family...now they were going to fight until one of them was dead. That's the only way any of this would end, and I hoped with all my might that it would be Alice that was left standing.<p>

The burning quickly rose from my arm into my chest, causing my breathing to become faster and more shallow. With my vision still blurring in and out, I couldn't exactly tell who was winning in the fight. I knew Jasper was much more skilled in the area of hand to hand combat than anyone else in the Cullen family. I knew that meant that Alice would have to focus purely on Jasper and not get distracted by me, so I did my best to stay still and quiet as can be.

It was hard, though, with the venom spreading, burning in my veins. My body started to convulse to the point where I couldn't even attempt to stop it, grunts coming out of my mouth as I grasp the damp grass beneath my fingers as the venom rushes in to my other arm and down my torso. I hear growling from Alice and Jasper hissing in return. I can't see them now, not because of my sight problems, but because they were now on the other side of the backyard at the forest edge.

Time seemed to slow down for me. My body movements were growling less erratic, my breathing was changing back to deeper breaths when the venom reached my toes. I was on full burn now, like the venom was now spreading to my muscles so everything would be engulfed soon enough. Even if Alice beat Jasper and did everything she could to take back the venom that was coursing through me, it wouldn't matter. I knew I was way past the point of no return.

I had gone over the cliff and was falling, waiting to hit the water that was waiting for me at the bottom. Or maybe I already had, and was now fighting my way to the surface, but would only be able to when the change was fully complete. It didn't scare me, it never had. Even when I was with Edward, I had always wanted to be like him. At first it was because I was so infatuated with him, and would do anything to be with him forever. Then, after the James incident, I realized that wasn't the case anymore.

I wanted to be a vampire because, even in the beginning, it felt more normal to be in that world that it did my own. I'd never felt more comfortable, and the feeling that I belonged was so strong, though Edward always thought that I only wanted it because of him. No matter what I said or how I tried to explain how I felt, it wasn't enough. He'd prevent me from becoming like him if it was the last thing he'd do, and that always angered me. It wasn't his choice to make...it was mine.

He had told me some about the changing process, mainly trying to get me to see what a horrible and painful choice it would be, but my want never faded. Now that it was actually happening, not in the way I'd ever thought, but happening nonetheless, Edward had been sugar-coating it. When James attacked me, the venom never got that far into my system, so it wasn't that painful, even though I was dealing with a injured leg too, it felt like Hell. Oh, how was I wrong.

This was Hell. My entire body. From the hair follicles on my scalp, to the nails on my toes. I was still now, my body had stopped writhing and I felt paralyzed. I wouldn't want to move even if I could, afraid that the pain may get worse, though I'm not quite certain if it's possible. Still, I wouldn't take the chance. It was then that I realized I could no longer see nor hear Alice and Jasper. I swear my heart stopped for a second when I was reminded of her. How could I have forgotten in the first place?

All I could hear now was my hear thumping in my ears. It was so loud. I wished I could at least see that she was still okay, still fighting, at least. Though I take it as a good sign that if she had lost, that Jasper would be killing me right now, and since he wasn't I assume they were still somewhere in the yard duking it out. With beads of sweat rolling down my forehead, my eyes started to feel heavy. I did my best to push the impending blackness away and stared up at the sky.

I needed to focus. Focus on something that would keep my mind here. From where I lay, I could see some of the night sky. A navy blue-ish color that the moonlight created. Some stars were brighter than others, one even looks reddish, but I can't tell if it's truly like that, or if it's just the venom messing with my head. Suddenly there was movement to the right of where I was looking. I glanced over and saw a patch of sky that shooting stars were flying through.

One after another, they cut through the sky like a hot knife on butter. Could you wish on a shooting star when the sky was filled with them, or when it was just one, and you didn't even expect to see that many? Whatever the rules, I wish. I wished on all of them, actually. I wished, like a little girl, that all would work itself out. That Alice would be safe, that Jasper was somewhere where he couldn't hurt anyone ever again. It was all that mattered to me now, that she was okay.

The blackness did overwhelm me, seconds after making my desperate wish. Though even in my dreams, or venom coma...whatever I was, I still felt the pain. I thought that there was a chance that I'd escape it, even if it were just for a little while, but it appears not. As I lay here in my unconsciousness, my surroundings change. The darkness starts gaining light, and I can see it trying to morph into something, but what, I don't know. It's my mind though, why not try to control it?

I think of a place that feels like my escape. The meadow. Edward took me to it when we were first getting to really know each other. I'd never see anything so beautiful in my life. So I thought hard of that, wishing I could be there now. Closing my eyes I could see the emerald green grass, still shiny with the morning dew on the blade tips. The bright, purple flowers that gave off such a soothing aroma. And the trees that surrounded the area, the sun beaming down and casting rays of light down to the ground through the canopy.

When I opened my eyes, there it was. However, it glowed more, bright to where it hurt my eyes at first. I noticed the pain in my body dissipated a little, and I was relieved. My place of comfort really did help. In more ways than one. Even if it was just in my head, I was thankful I could have even that much right now. I don't know how long I laid there in the meadow in silence, listening to the wind and birds chirping around me. It didn't feel that long until I heard Alice's voice.

"_Bella?" _Alice asked, her voice echoing slightly in the meadow. _"Bella, you're going to be okay, Carlisle is on his way." _She sighed_. "I just wish I knew if you could hear me..."_

I wanted to answer her, but my voice wasn't exactly cooperating. And even if I could answer, I'm not exactly present, so she most likely wouldn't hear me anyway. At least she didn't sound hysterical. Her voice was urgent, but calmer than it should have been. I assume she'd killed Jasper, and with me in my current state, she seemed to be handling things quite well, whether it was for my benefit or not. I didn't care if it was. She was alive, that's what mattered.

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><p>Alice had been talking to me since she killed Jasper in my backyard. I was now at the Cullens house with Jacob, Seth, and Leah downstairs. She'd told me that they had been knocked unconscious one by one before the shifter and Jasper came after me. Seth and Leah were fine, the shifter had come up behind them and used a pressure point on their necks to knock them out, but Jacob put up more of a fight, getting a hard hit on the head from Jasper before passing out.<p>

Out of the three, Jacob felt the worst. He admitted to being overly cocky and not as prepared as they should have been. That the whole reason I was in the position I currently am in, is because of him. I disagree. Even though I had a bad feeling about them not being in their wolf forms, whose to say that they wouldn't have been hurt much worse if they had been ready for a fight? That shifter was strong, and only was taken down so easily by Alice because he was caught off guard.

Besides, I wanted this. Jacob was like Edward in a way, thinking it was the worst thing someone could become, but he couldn't understand. He was a shifter, but he didn't want to be. He absolutely hated the fact that he had no choice in the matter, and even gave up being Alpha because of it. He just doesn't get that I do in fact have a choice. No one is pushing me into it, when really, everyone has been trying to talk me out of it since I had said that it was what I wanted.

I can see how he'd think that vampires are monsters. With all the movies and TV shows portraying them as human-killing machines, a normal person would think they probably had no feelings whatsoever. But if he's learned anything about his time with the Cullens, it should be that they are different. No every vampire has to stick to the stereotype. Everyone has a choice of what they want to be. Sure, they could have gave into their instincts and killed humans without remorse...it was in their nature.

But no, they still felt human enough to go against their new nature, and know that it's not right. Each human life meant something. And even though it was a hard life, it didn't mean that she couldn't be happy. Carlisle and Esme belong together, that's clear to anyone who sees them together, but they wouldn't be if Carlisle hadn't changed her in that hospital all those years ago. Even though he didn't quite know what he was doing at the time, he saved her because that's what he thought was best.

Rose misses being human, but if she had died in the street that night, she wouldn't have found Emmett, and he would have died in that bear attack, never meeting Rose. This life brought them together. Rose would have been absolutely miserable living this life without Emmett, but she found him, and has a husband that loves her with everything in him and would do anything for her. She had happiness, that of which she never truly got in her human life. It was similar with the shifers.

They couldn't help that they were born with the gene. They didn't chose this life of mystical creatures, but it was part of who they were, whether they liked it or not. But, what matters is what you do with it. They chose to protect humans and their land from invaders that pose a threat. Their life means something, and they _can_ be happy. They imprint on one person and one person only for God sakes. When they do meet that person, it's clear that it's their soul mate.

Sam is so in love with Emily, it radiates through a room. Quil just recently found Claire, who, even though is just a toddler, you can see the love in his eyes and how protective he is of her. Jacob just doesn't like what he doesn't understand, like most people. He knows what it's like to be different, yet he hates all vampires because he thinks they are all monsters. He hates seeing the other shifters with their partners because he doesn't like that who he falls for is already chosen.

He's much like Leah in that way, though he'd deny it. I know that they say they hate that everything is chosen for them, but I can tell that they are both envious. They want love. Leah wants Sam back, and Jacob wanted me. I knew once they found their mates, things would change for them, but right now, they'd have to power through the bad to get to the eventual good. They aren't monsters, they aren't unable to be loved. They are who they're supposed to be.

For he most part, I've always been a believer in Fate. The world works in mysterious ways, but in the end, everything that happens, I believe it happens for a reason. Even though we may not always be able to see it or understand it all the time. My whole life, I've been on the outside looking in, never understanding why I felt like I didn't belong wherever I tried to fit. But discovering this world, was Fate. I was introduced to it in an interesting way, but I was meant to be here.

"_Bella, Carlisle's here now."_ Alice announced, taking me out of my thoughts.

"_Has she been responding?" _Carlisle's smooth voice asked.

"_No, but I've still been talking to her the whole time, in case she can hear."_

Rustling sounds followed. And after a few moments, Carlisle spoke up again.

"_Her eyes are changing color. Her cuts and bruises are healing. And her heart rate is up. Everything seems normal. Any idea when she''ll wake up?" _

"_Yeah, I had a vision of her waking up tomorrow evening." Alice replied._

Good, this dull burn wasn't pleasant. The sooner the better.

"_Ah, good. Hang in there, Bella. Now, where's Jacob? I want to check his head, make sure he's okay."_

"_Back porch."_

I heard nothing then, no rustling or footsteps, but I knew Carlisle had left the room.

"_I'm sorry, Bella. I wish I'd gotten here sooner..."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Warning, next chapter is the last.<strong>


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